Malawi: US Government Bans Former Graft Fighting Head, Others Over Corruption

By Joseph Dumbula.

The United States Government has announced bans to four former senior officials of the Malawi government including former Anti-Corruption Bureau Director Reyneck Matemba and their spouses from travelling to the US over corruption links.

The officials designated are Matemba, former director of public procurement and disposal of assets John Suzi-Banda, former Malawi Police Service attorney Mwabi Kaluba, and former Inspector General of the Malawi Police Service George Kainja, the department said.

“Matemba, Suzi-Banda, Kaluba and Kainja abused their public positions by accepting bribes and other articles of value from a private businessperson in exchange for awarding a government procurement contract for the Malawi Police Service,” says the US Department of State statement.

The embassy says endemic corruption prevents Malawi’s economy from flourishing and that it stands "with the people of Malawi who desire a more just, self-reliant, and prosperous nation, and we will continue to work with those who are dedicated" fighting corruption and advancing justice.

The ban for the four extends to their spouses Rhoda Violet Matemba Maxwell, Mariana Ismael Suzi-Banda, Bernadette Mwangosi and Jacqueline de Silva Kainja.

At the moment, last year’s Corruption Perception Index released by Transparency International has shown that Malawi’s performance has remained constant on corruption scores.

The report shows that Malawi has scored 34 out of 100 points and has been ranked 115 out of 180 countries that have been assessed.

In 2022, Malawi scored 34 out of 100 points and was ranked 110 out of 180 countries and territories that were assessed.

The 2023 Corruption Perception Index (CPI) shows that corruption is still thriving across the world.

The CPI ranks 180 countries and territories around the globe by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, scoring them on a scale of 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).