In a scandal soaked in impunity and riddled with red flags, Nyasatimes can reveal that Blantyre Water Board (BWB) has once again handed a lucrative contract to Creck Hardware and General Suppliers--a company owned by businessman Apostle Clifford Kawinga, whose substandard water meters previously drained the utility of K8.8 billion in lost revenue.
Despite the devastating fallout from faulty meters supplied by Creck, the company continues to secure multi-billion-kwacha contracts across Malawi's water boards, raising serious questions about procurement integrity, political protection, and public accountability.
BWB's Billion-Kwacha Blunder--Now Repeated
Back in 2017, BWB introduced prepaid water meters to curb revenue leakages and improve billing efficiency. Instead, the project became a multi-billion-kwacha disaster. Internal audits revealed that over 7,600 out of 31,000 meters--supplied by Creck--were faulty.
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According to BWB's own Director of Distribution and Commerce, Verson Kafodya, the meters had "factory faults" that led to customers either receiving excess water without paying or being overcharged inexplicably.
"We lost 4.3 billion litres of water and K8.8 billion in revenue," he disclosed during a Times Radio programme.
BWB CEO Robert Hanjahanja confirmed that customers could buy a K5,000 token and end up receiving water worth K50,000--crippling the board's revenue streams.
Yet, in a baffling move that defies logic and accountability, BWB has now awarded Creck another contract--this time for the supply of post-paid meters.
Creck's Monopoly Across Malawi
Creck, under Clifford Kawinga's ownership, has quietly grown into a contract behemoth within the water utility sector, winning deals across every major water board, despite its damaging record.
Here are some of the latest deals awarded to Creck in the last 3-4 years:
Northern Region Water Board:
· 9,500 prepaid meters -- USD 2,080,328.42
· Post-paid meters -- MWK 356,431,109.25
Southern Region Water Board:
· STS prepaid meters -- USD 1,313,945.25
Blantyre Water Board (again):
· 5,000 prepaid meters -- USD 92,594.67
· 5,000 STS prepaid meters -- MWK 647,719,868.80
In total, that's over USD 3.4 million and hundreds of millions in kwacha awarded to the same supplier responsible for one of the worst financial setbacks in BWB's history.
BWB Insiders: "It's Criminal"
Within BWB, frustration is boiling over. One senior official told Nyasatimes:
"We know the losses. We know the cause. It was Creck. So why are they still here? This is beyond negligence--it borders on criminality."
Another insider added:
"No company should survive a K8.8 billion scandal, let alone be rewarded afterward. There's something deeply wrong in the system."
Multiple employees have called for an investigation into how Creck continues to dominate tenders despite a proven track record of failure.
Consumers Left in the Dark
Consumers Association of Malawi (CAMA) Executive Director John Kapito expressed shock over the Board's decision to continue engaging Creck.
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"This is a betrayal of consumers and taxpayers. The prepaid system was supposed to bring transparency. Now, we're reverting to post-paid systems and giving more deals to the same supplier that failed us."
He said CAMA had received numerous complaints over the faulty meters and accused the water boards of deliberately ignoring consumer interests.
The Big Questions That Demand Answers
Why is Creck, owned by Clifford Kawinga, still receiving government contracts?
Why haven't water boards blacklisted a company that cost the country billions?
Who is protecting Creck--and what's in it for them?
Until these questions are answered, Creck remains the face of how incompetence and impunity thrive within Malawi's public procurement system--costing citizens billions while insiders feast.
