01/02/2026
WHO IS TELLING MALAWIANS THE TRUTH?
First Vice-President Jane Ansah’s office yesterday could not answer whether she self-funded her private trip to the United Kingdom (UK) after President Peter Mutharika announced on Wednesday that his number two assured him of using private resources.
Instead, spokesperson in the Office of the First Vice-President Richard Mveriwa said Minister of Information and Communications Technology Shadric Namalomba was better placed to state whose money Ansah used to travel to Nottingham “since he is the one who issued a statement on travel budget.”
But when contacted, Namalomba—who on December 24, 2025 stated that Ansah would take five officials at a cost of K168 million and not the K1.9 billion for 15 people that went viral on social media—yesterday said “let me verify with Treasury and OPC [Office of the President and Cabinet] and will revert,” but had not responded by press time.
Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Decentralisation Joseph Mwanamvekha as well as Secretary to the Treasury Cliff Chiunda were not immediately available for comment yesterday.
Chief Secretary to OPC Justin Saidi yesterday told The Nation to check with State House because “I did not issue any statement”.
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