Pressure is mounting on State House over allegations that it interfered in an Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM) procurement process after a coalition of civil society organisations demanded an investigation into the matter.
The coalition, comprising the Malawi Black Economic Movement (MaBLEM), Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC), Human Rights Consultative Committee (HRCC) and Citizen Alliance (CA), claims documents in the public domain suggest that decisions surrounding an ESCOM tender may have been altered after the procurement process had already been concluded.
According to the organisations, ESCOM had identified successful bidders, including Creck Hardware, Clavic General Suppliers and Safari General Dealers, before the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) allegedly intervened.
The CSOs say the reported intervention raises questions about whether established procurement procedures were followed.
Speaking during a press briefing in Lilongwe, HRDC Chairperson Michael Kaiyatsa said the allegations threaten public confidence in Malawi’s procurement system.
“When procurement outcomes are determined by political directives, they undermine the principles of fairness, transparency and accountability,” Kaiyatsa said.
He questioned the legal basis upon which State House or the OPC could become involved in a procurement process after bids had already been evaluated.
Kaiyatsa said the coalition would seek the release of all correspondence and directives relating to the matter and petition Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee and Public Accounts Committee to launch an inquiry.
The coalition is also calling on the Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Authority (PPDA) and the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to investigate the allegations and determine whether procurement laws were breached.
The concerns follow the emergence of documents allegedly showing that questions regarding the ownership of some companies were raised after the procurement process had already been completed.
The tender at the centre of the controversy involves the supply of transformers to ESCOM and has attracted significant public attention due to its value and strategic importance.
Neither State House nor ESCOM had publicly responded to the allegations at the time of publication.
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