The Malawi Government has admitted to severe financial constraints causing delays in contractor payments for its nationwide security housing programme, according to Nyasa Times. Following an inspection of a K6.6 billion housing project for immigration staff in Chinsapo, Lilongwe, Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development Chimwemwe Chipungu revealed that authorities are now prioritising payments based on project completion levels. The broader initiative aims to construct improved accommodation for personnel across key security institutions, including the Malawi Police Service, Malawi Defence Force, Malawi Prison Service, and the Department of Immigration and Citizenship Services. In a related effort to boost local law enforcement infrastructure, Nation Online reports that the Rumphi District Council has approved a K20 billion Annual Investment Plan that will fund the construction of new police units among over 80 planned community projects.
Update: A special parliamentary committee has officially launched its on-the-ground investigations into the June 2024 plane crash that claimed the lives of former Vice President Saulos Chilima and eight others, Nyasa Times reports. Led by chairperson Walter Nyamilandu Manda, the committee visited Kamuzu International Airport on May 18 to gather information and assess issues surrounding the ill-fated flight. The investigative team is being supported by a parliamentary secretariat that includes Lieutenant Colonel Amin Kalinga from the Malawi Defence Force.
Meanwhile, the Malawi Human Rights Commission has initiated the process of recruiting its next cohort of commissioners as the tenure of the current eighth group concludes, according to Nation Online. In a joint notice, Law Commissioner Rosemary Kanyuka and Ombudsman Grace Malera called on designated organisations to nominate independent and non-partisan candidates possessing high professional integrity to serve on the rights body.