OPC shakes civil service

By Wezzie Gausi

The government has rung some changes to its setup, shifting over 15 principal secretaries (PSs) to other ministries, The Daily Times has established.

Information Minister Gospel Kazako, while confirming the development, said the move was aimed at reenergising the civil service to enable it to effectively deliver the Tonse Alliance-led administration’s mandate.

He said the government would be issuing an official statement soon on the changes that have been made.

“The process that the government is taking is something that happens now and again in the civil service. We, as the Tonse Alliance administration, have an agenda we want to promote. So, for that agenda to be achieved, we need people that are conversant with our vision.

“Any administration that comes in makes such changes not because people are not qualified but because it is a routine exercise that happens in the government system. If you ask people that are working as civil servants, they will tell you that they did not start from where they are working today,” Kazako said.

The government spokesperson said people should expect more positive changes to happen in the civil service as the Lazarus Chakwera-led administration repositions Malawi on the path to prosperity.

Information we have gathered indicates, for instance, that Solicitor General-cum-Secretary for Justice Reyneck Matemba has been moved to the Ministry of Lands as PS.

Foreign Affairs PS Lucky Sikwese has been moved to the Office of the Vice President as PS while PS for Lands Bernard Sande is now Foreign Affairs PS.

Another source said Nwazi Mnthambala, who was the Comptroller of Statutory Corporations, is now Secretary for Industry while Peter Simbani, who was the PS at Ministry of Trade, is now Comptroller of Statutory Corporations.

One of the PSs that have been affected by the changes said he had heard from the grapevine that he was being shifted but said he was yet to get official communication on the same.

Meanwhile, Centre for Social Accountability and Transparency Executive Director Willy Kambwandira has said Malawians would be elated if the changes result in efficiency in government operations.

Recently, the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament called on the government to ensure efficiency in its ministries, departments and agencies.