By Pemphero Malimba:
Chief Secretary to the Government Justin Saidi Monday defended the secondment of Public Service Pension Trust Fund (PSPTF) acting principal officer Boyd Hamela from the Ministry of Agriculture to PSPTF.
Saidi made the defence during his appearance in the ongoing Public Accounts Committee of Parliament (Pac) public inquiry on the purchase of Amaryllis Hotel by PSPTF.
Monday’s hearing took place at Parliament Building in Lilongwe.
Saidi said the secondment was done in line with relevant laws.
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According to Saidi, several provisions of the Public Service Act give his office power to second public officers.
“Mr Boyd Hamela’s secondment is therefore not exceptional to this requirement. However, since secondment is a formal employment of all deployments or posting of officers above the position [of] under secretary grade F, which is P5, [the decision] is approved and decided in OPC and this is in line with Section 6 of the Public Service Act, 1994. Approving and seconding of Mr Boyd Hamela was in order because the officer is above the position of under-secretary, which is Grade F, as at the time of his deployment to PSPTF,” he said.
He said at the time of his secondment, Hamela was serving in Grade E P4 in the Ministry of Agriculture.
Lilongwe Chilobwe Member of Parliament (MP) Lawrence Chakakala Chaziya asked why Saidi made the secondment despite a resolution made by the PSPTF board not to allow any seconded officer.
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Saidi said he was not aware of the resolution.
Lilongwe Chiwamba lawmaker Winstone Kaimapanjira wondered why there was a contradiction in the dates Hamela was seconded and when he resumed his services at the fund.
“Multiple witnesses who appeared who appeared before this committee stated that Mr Hamela became acting principal on 28 October 2025, the day after the suspension of Mr George Jimu. Chief Secretary’s secondment letter is dated 6 November 2025. A full nine days later. I would like to ask the Chief Secretary to explain why there are differences between your official record and testimony given to this committee. If Mr Hamela was acting principal from 28 October and your letter is dated 6 November, 2025, was he operating without authority for those nine days?” Kaimapanjira queried.
Pac Chairperson Steven Malondera concurred with Kaimapanjira.
Saidi said he stood by his letter of November 6, 2025.
“I stand by the letter of 6 November 2025. Whatever happened at the trustees is none of my business. If there was an activity before, I am not responsible [for that],” he said.
The committee summoned Saidi to explain whether the secondment followed the law or not and whether it was influenced by government interest in the conclusion of the hotel transaction.
The inquiry follows controversy over the hotel’s sale to PSPTF at K128 billion. However, at least K90 billion is reported to have been paid for the hotel despite the central bank’s reservations on the issue.
