By Cathy Maulidi:
The government has paid at least 114 ghost workers salaries from April to June 2023, The Daily Times has learnt.
Information indicates that the people involved have been receiving the salaries as Christian Health Association of Malawi (Cham) workers since migration of Cham workers into the government payroll in April this year.
Confirming the development, Ministry of Health spokesperson Adrian Chikumbe said the 114 people erroneously got paid salaries in different cadres and grades.
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“The amounts paid were also understandably different. We are, therefore, in the process of establishing the total amount involved,” Chikumbe said.
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He added that the government is expediting processes to recover the money paid to the wrong individuals.
“We expect all those involved to be civil, responsible and cooperative. We would not want to arrive at a situation where the ministry engages the Attorney General and drags people to court for justice [to prevail],” Chikumbe said.
Some of the ghost workers that were found on the government payroll worked under Cham before, some retired while others resigned.
Meanwhile, Chikumbe has disclosed that the government had earlier detected about 500 ghost workers in the system and that they were flashed out before any payment was effected.
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Principal Secretary responsible for finance in the Accountant General’s office Chimwemwe Banda has told The Daily Times that they will need a report from the Ministry of Health, which will have to shed light into what transpired.
“When money is lost, the ministry responsible is supposed to submit a report to us and that report must justify how it happened because we are not responsible for compilation of the list to be paid; we just pay. So, after the report has been submitted to us, the auditors will have to certify it.
“But no matter what happens, the Ministry of Health is responsible and must make sure that the money [that has been] lost is recovered,” Banda said.
Meanwhile, Public Accounts Committee of Parliament Vice Chairperson Ned Poya has called for a thorough investigation into the matter.
“This must be investigated thoroughly; letting this matter slide will be a mistake. Malawians must know what really happened and officers responsible for this anomaly must be punished,” Poya said.
