Malawians are being forced to pay the price for yet another display of government recklessness. In a shocking contradiction to its own rhetoric on austerity, the Peter Mutharika administration has deployed several high-earning chief executive officers (CEOs) from state agencies to public universities--at full salary--while their original positions are filled by acting officers who are also paid nearly the same packages.
Let that sink in: two people being paid for one job, funded entirely by the Malawian taxpayer, while ordinary citizens struggle to make ends meet. These CEOs are earning between K10 million and K15 million, with perks that include fuel allowances, housing, and school fees for their children. And for what? To serve as "role models" for students or because some are deemed underperforming in their agencies.
This is not just bad policy; it is an insult to every Malawian who is tightening belts under genuine austerity. It is hypocrisy on a grand scale. At a time when the government is publicly advocating austerity, it is busy creating financial black holes disguised as secondments. Ordinary lecturers, whose salaries pale in comparison, are left watching as state funds are siphoned off to pay executives who have no academic qualifications, no teaching experience, and no mandate to shape universities.
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Experts warn that these moves are politically motivated and economically reckless. Civil Society Education Coalition Executive Director Benedicto Kondowe notes that public universities are being turned into holding grounds for expensive executives, undermining standards, fairness, and human resource planning. Mzuzu University lecturer Christopher Mbukwa describes the arrangement as a waste of resources--two people being paid for one post is a luxury Malawi can ill afford. Accountability expert Willy Kambwandira adds that these secondments set a dangerous precedent, where politics trumps merit and resources are allocated to status rather than need.
The implications are damning. First, taxpayer money is being squandered while essential academic and social services go underfunded. Second, it sends a corrosive message to the public that government austerity is selective, applying only to ordinary Malawians while the elite continue to feast. Third, it undermines institutional credibility, turning universities into playgrounds for political expediency rather than bastions of learning.
The Mutharika administration must answer some hard questions: Why are these CEOs being paid twice for one role? Why are public universities being turned into dumping grounds for political appointees? And how does this reflect the austerity measures you claim to champion?
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Malawi cannot afford this charade. Ordinary citizens are being exploited to fund the comfort and perks of a few, while standards in public institutions suffer. If austerity is real, it must start at the top. Until then, these secondments are not reform--they are a betrayal.
Malawians deserve honesty, integrity, and governance that aligns words with action. What we are witnessing is neither honesty nor integrity--it is blatant financial recklessness and political hypocrisy. The question is: will government continue to pretend austerity is real, or will it start acting in the interest of the people who foot the bill?
Until then, these secondments remain a scathing indictment of the Mutharika administration's priorities--and a grim warning of how far words on austerity can stray from action.
