Linda Phiri, Masautso Kamowa and Synoden Kautsi--three senior Greenbelt Authority (GBA) officials entrusted with billions of kwacha meant to transform Malawi's agriculture--are now at the centre of a staggering corruption scandal that the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) says bled the public purse of over K36.7 billion.
The ACB has confirmed the arrest of the three GBA officials alongside three powerful private contractors in what investigators describe as a carefully orchestrated scheme involving dubious contract awards, fake work certificates and massive advance payments.
Those arrested from GBA are director of finance and investments Linda Phiri, procurement and assets disposal manager Masautso Kamowa, and infrastructure development manager Synoden Kautsi. On the private sector side, the dragnet has caught Kenneth Khonje, managing director of Einstein Construction Limited; Victor Chabwera, managing director of PLMB Engineering Investment; and Ephrone Mwenitete, managing director of EMD Consulting Engineers.
ACB acting director general Gabriel Chembezi said in a statement that the arrests stem from a complaint lodged on November 10, 2025, alleging that GBA officials in 2025 dubiously awarded contracts and authorised advance payments amounting to K28.9 billion. However, investigations have since exposed an even darker picture.
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"The actual amount of money dubiously paid by GBA to the contracted companies was MK36,782,078,832.91, and not the MK28.9 billion reported in the complaint," Chembezi said.
According to the ACB, the money was paid for the construction and rehabilitation of four irrigation schemes--Nthola Ilora in Karonga, Lweya in Nkhata-Bay, Mlambe in Mangochi and Nchalo in Chikwawa--all funded by the Malawi Government under the Greenbelt Initiative, a flagship programme meant to drive food security and economic growth.
Instead of delivering development, the projects allegedly became conduits for grand theft.
The Bureau says the billions were released without performance bonds and backed by fake work certificates, a glaring breach of procurement and financial control laws. After being paid, the money was allegedly withdrawn from various banks, with some of it channeled into political campaigns and some paid directly to GBA employees.
In a sign that the scandal is far from over, Chembezi revealed that the ACB has arrest warrants for three more GBA employees and two additional private contractors.
"Efforts are underway to track and apprehend these suspects, some of whom have, for the past 24 hours, not been found at their known physical addresses and are out of reach," Chembezi said, raising fears of attempted evasion of justice.
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The ACB says all arrested suspects will be taken to court within the constitutionally prescribed 48 hours to be formally charged.
The case lays bare yet another brutal betrayal of public trust, where billions meant to irrigate fields and feed Malawians allegedly ended up greasing political machinery and private pockets--while ordinary citizens continue to grapple with hunger, poverty and failing public services.
