The Lilongwe Chief Resident Magistrate Court Friday slapped a Facebook convict Ignatius Kamwanje with a K200,000 fine for a malicious post on social media which alleged that money was being stolen from National Bank of Malawi (NBM) plc client’s accounts.
Chief Resident Magistrate Patrick Chirwa spared Kamwanje of custodial sentence on the basis that he was a first offender but blasted the convict on his conduct.
“The convict committed a serious offence of positing unsolicited information and Cyber crimes like these needs stiff punishment from offenders.”
“But in the current case, the convict is the first offender and therefore I sentence him to pay a fine of K200,000 or in default serve 18 months imprisonment,” said Chirwa.
Kamwanje paid the fine and was released after spending three nights in jail after being convicted on his admission of guilt on Tuesday.
Kamwanje’s brother Eric, threatened journalists not to take pictures of his brother as he was being released saying they should get consent from him.
“Leave Ignatius Kamwanje alone, he is not trying to be President of this country! Leave him alone, I am Eric Kamwanje,” he charged.
Kamwanje, an employee of World Vision Malawi was arrested in April this year after NBM plc had filed a complaint following his spate of damaging posts, among them, that NBM plc employees were involved in an ‘inside cartel’ to steal money from customers.
He alleged that four employees had been arrested in connection with the theft.
Kamwanje’s lawyer Pacharo Mwenelupembe prayed for leniency arguing that Kamwanje is the first offender.
She also told the court that Kamwanje will apologize on Facebook over the posts.
The convict first wrote the story on his Facebook wall on 1st March 2021 that his relative had his K8.7 million stolen at NBM plc with the help of the bank employees.
He wrote again on 27th March 2021 where he alleged that there were four cases at the courts and that others are in jail because of the issue.
“Those with National Bank accounts, check your balances regularly…ndalama zikutengedwa mma accounts. Yesterday about 4 cases at the court. Surprisingly it’s an inside cartel bcz others are in jail as I am talking. The relative whom I posted a story on my page and whose 2.8 million went missing with a balance of about 5.7 kulibe kalikonse..,” reads part of his post.
The Lilongwe Chief Resident Magistrates Court Thursday adjourned the sentencing of Ignatius Kamwanje who it convicted on Tuesday over a social media platform Facebook post which alleged that money was being stolen from National Bank of Malawi (NBM) plc client’s accounts.
Chief Resident Magistrate Patrick Chirwa told the prosecution and defence sides that he will deliver his sentence on Friday morning as he had to look at the charge of the offence of prohibition of spamming, as outlined in section 91 of the Electronic Transaction and Cyber Security Act of 2016.
“The Magistrate invited us in his Chambers where he wanted some clarifications on the offence and the provisions of the Act and we addressed him and he will pass his sentence tomorrow at 9am,” said Police Prosecutor Patrick Chipote.
Kamwanje, an employee of World Vision Malawi was then taken to Lilongwe Police Station to await the sentence after his bail was revoked following his conviction on Tuesday.
Police arrested Kamwanje in April this year after NBM plc had filed a complaint following his spate of damaging posts, among them, that NBM plc employees were involved in an ‘inside cartel’ to steal money from customers.
He alleged that four employees had been arrested in connection with the theft.
However, when he was brought before the court, he pleaded guilty.
Chipote told the court that their investigations did not establish the arrest of any NBM plc employee over the alleged theft and that no customer had officially complained about losing money in their accounts.
Chipote said Kamwanje’s posts damaged the bank’s image and reputation and asked the court to impose a stiff punishment to deter others from such misconduct.
Kamwanje’s lawyer Pacharo Mwenelupembe prayed for leniency arguing that Kamwanje is the first offender.
She also told the court that Kamwanje will apologize on Facebook over the posts.
The convict first wrote the story on his Facebook wall on 1st March 2021 that his relative had his K8.7 million stolen at NBM plc with the help of the bank employees.
He wrote again on 27th March 2021 where he alleged that there were four cases at the courts and that others are in jail because of the issue.
“Those with National Bank accounts, check your balances regularly…ndalama zikutengedwa mma accounts. Yesterday about 4 cases at the court. Surprisingly it’s an inside cartel bcz others are in jail as I am talking. The relative whom I posted a story on my page and whose 2.8 million went missing with a balance of about 5.7 kulibe kalikonse..,” reads part of his post.
According to the Electronic Transaction and Cyber Security Act, Kamwanje faces a K2 million fine and five-year prison sentence.
Vice President Saulos Chilima in his capacity as Minister of Economic Planning and Public Sector Reforms on Wednesday availed himself before Parliament to update members and answer questions on public reforms implementation and the Malawi 2063 vision.
This is the second time that Chilima has made himself available to answer questions from members as he did the same in March 2021.
Responding to a supplementary question, Chilima assured Malawians that his ministry in conjunction with the Ministry of Finance and the Reserve Bank of Malawi are working tirelessly to stabilise the Kwacha devaluation, inflation and rising cost of living.
He said one of the measures undertaken by the central bank is to reduce the policy rate to make borrowing cheaper.
Chilima alluded to the fact that currently, Malawi is facing exchange rate challenges because there is a deficit between imports and exports (current account) around $800- $900 million.
The Veep said Malawi is a net importer of goods and services that requires more forex which is why the government is working to improve production and productivity for exports to reduce the current account deficit.
“Let me assure Malawians that we will be taking short to medium term painful measures that will better the situation soon. I can assure you that we are aware of the situation on the ground and we will not let the nation perish,” said Chilima
Before Chilima took the floor, opposition members defeated a motion for Parliament to start tackling questions pertaining to the Ministry of Economic Planning and Development and Public Sector Reforms to allow Chilima to leave but the MPs said they wanted to have more time to interact with the Veep.
Leader of Opposition and Mulanje Central legislator Kondwani Nankhumwa asked Chilima to update the August House on the following, how far government has gone with the Reform Agenda, whether the Public Reforms have already started bearing fruits, and how interlinked is the Reform Agenda with the Malawi 2063 Agenda.
This is the second time that Chilima has availed himself to Parliament. In March this year, Chilima also appeared before the august House to answer questions in Parliament.
Vice President Saulos Chilima has told Parliament that the public reforms he is championing as Minister of Economic Planning and Public Sector Reforms have started bearing fruits.
Chilima said on Wednesday when he availed himself before Parliament to update members and answer questions on public reforms implementation and the Malawi 2063 vision.
“Madam Speaker, although I have already said that the reforms implementation by most public institutions are still at process level towards the achievement of the targeted outcomes and results, in some institutions the reforms have already started bearing fruits,” said Chilima.
The Veep said as stated by President Lazarus Chakwera in his State Of the Nation Address, strategic Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) are being uniquely targeted for Public Sector Reforms in the pursuit of the three priorities of food security, jobs creation and wealth creation.
Chilima added that since March government has been conducting a first quarter review with all institutions implementing the reforms.
He said in the mining sector government has introduced radical reforms in the sector to curb illegal mining and vending.
The Veep also said the agricultural sector is implementing a reform on “Agriculture Production Transformation” that aims at applying intensified and transformative approaches to increase the scale of agriculture output on the same pieces of land.
The reforms are also aimed at intensifying more resilient approaches to weather shocks, conducive for agriculture production.
“Government is monitoring all institutions to make sure that they are implementing the reforms as stipulated in the policy, so far ADMARC ,MBC,MPC ,LIHACO,LWB are under inspection to make sure they are implementing them” he said.
Chilima further said the government is revamping 84 dormant ADMARC depots to make sure it becomes a viable market leader.
He said in the financial sector the government is implementing various reforms such as transformation of the micro-financial institution Malawi Enterprise Development Fund (MEDF) Limited into the National Economic Empowerment Fund (NEEF) Limited in October 2020.
The Lilongwe Chief Resident Magistrates Court has convicted a World Vision of Malawi employee Ignatius Kamwanje over a social media platform Facebook post which alleged that money was being stolen from National Bank of Malawi (NBM) plc client’s accounts.
Chief Resident Magistrate Patrick Chirwa convicted Kamwanje on Tuesday morning following his guilty plea to an offence of prohibition of spamming, as outlined in section 91 of the Electronic Transaction and Cyber Security Act of 2016.
Kamwanje’s bail has since been revoked and was immediately taken to Maula Prison where he will await his sentence on Thursday.
Police arrested Kamwanje in April this year after NBM plc had filed a complaint following his spate of damaging posts, among them, that NBM plc employees were involved in an ‘inside cartel’ to steal money from customers.
He alleged that four employees had been arrested in connection with the theft. However, when he was brought before the court, he pleaded guilty.
Police Prosecutor Patrick Chipote read particulars of the charge and the Magistrate asked Kamwanje if he had understood them, he nodded in agreement and maintained his guilty plea.
In his submissions, Chipote said their investigations did not establish the arrest of any NBM plc employee over the alleged theft and that no customer had officially complained about losing money in their accounts.
Chipote said Kamwanje’s posts damaged the bank’s image and reputation and asked the court to impose a stiff punishment to deter others from such misconduct.
“The convict defamed National Bank and damaged its image. Social media was established so that masses should be informed, educated and entertained in a moral manner and not abuse it like the way Kamwanje did,” he said.
But Kamwanje’s lawyer Pacharo Mwenelupembe prayed for leniency arguing that Kamwanje is the first offender.
She also told the court that Kamwanje will apologize on Facebook over the posts.
The convict first wrote the story on his Facebook wall on 1st March 2021 that his relative had his K8.7 million stolen at NBM plc with the help of the bank employees.
He wrote again on 27th March 2021 where he alleged that there were four cases at the courts and that others are in jail because of the issue.
“Those with National Bank accounts, check your balances regularly…ndalama zikutengedwa mma accounts. Yesterday about 4 cases at the court. Surprisingly it’s an inside cartel bcz others are in jail as I am talking. The relative whom I posted a story on my page and whose 2.8 million went missing with a balance of about 5.7 kulibe kalikonse..,” reads part of his post.
According to the Electronic Transaction and Cyber Security Act, Kamwanje faces a K2 million fine and five-year prison sentence.
Longwe: NBS Bank has one of the most robust digital platforms that assist village banks to easily move money among members
NBS Bank Plc says it will continue to promote the interests of its customers to safely manage their finances through the Tidalirane Group Transactional Account, specially developed for village bank groups.
NBS Bank Head of Marketing and Customer Experience, Tamanda Longwe said the Bank launched the Tidalirane account in December 2020, in reaction to requests from various organisations and individuals alike to address the safety of the money when kept at home and the risks associated with singular control of the village bank purse.
Longwe said the Tidalirane account was a product of concerted efforts between NBS Bank and United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF).
“UNCDF chose NBS Bank based on its unparalleled experience in financial inclusion, taking affordable banking to customers’ doorsteps. Among other efforts, the Bank’s wide footprint, which includes service centres and Bank Pafupi agents, makes it easy to serve village bank groups right in their neighbourhoods.”
“By nature, village banks thrive on everything being “Eazy”, including accessing money within minutes and without extra costs such as transport costs to access banking facilities. Additionally, NBS Bank has one of the most robust digital platforms that assist village banks to easily move money among members,” explained Longwe.
She further said that the initiatives of the Bank and its partners, including UNCDF, are centred around improving the livelihood of Malawians in a sustainable way.
“Issues of security of the village bank purse were addressed by creating dual control, so for every transaction, designated signatories have to authorise through their phones, without necessarily being in one place. Issues of expenses involved to go and cash the money at the Bank, were addressed through the robust network of Bank Pafupi agents present in the customers’ neighbourhoods.”
“Issues of inadequate capital were resolved by creating a soft loan without need for collateral specifically for village banks. There are no monthly fees levied on the account; on the contrary, the Bank gives interest for account balances. Customers are able to cash out at the Bank Pafupi agent, do loan repayments, deposit funds and open accounts. It should also be noted that once a transaction has passed, all members are alerted through an SMS, further enhancing the security of the funds by ensuring everyone is up to date regarding their group’s affairs,” said Longwe.
She said the Bank serves both rural and urban markets; this is why urban village banks can also link their accounts to EazyOnline, the internet banking platform, where funds can be transferred to members within the bank or outside the bank.
“Apart from transacting at the Bank Pafupi agent, the Tidalirane account can also be accessed through the ATMs country-wide,” said Longwe..
Asked about the recent surge of competition, Longwe advised that competition is always healthy in any industry, and was quick to say that NBS Bank leads the way owing to the 360-degree offering, where the various pieces of the puzzle have, over time, neatly been fitted together.
Mpinganjira (centre) poses with some students after delivering the motivational talk
FDH Bank plc has launched a mentorship program targeting secondary students in the country as part of the commemoration of the Day of African Child.
The launch took place at Chichiri Secondary School in Blantyre, where FDH Financial Holdings Chief Executive Officer, William Mpinganjira gave a career guidance talk to the students.
Mpinganjira encouraged the students to be focused by making sound decisions which include trading off some flawed behaviours with education.
“We planned to have this initiative which coincides with the commemoration of the Day of African Child which is perfect for us to launch the program. So, this program is about mentoring kids, mentoring these youngsters as they grow so that they can aspire to be successful and that FDH can be part of that growth. So, we want our staff to be involved in the initiative where they will be mentoring the students.”
“It is important for all of us as private entities and as FDH to get involved in our communities more than the way we have been doing. So as FDH we have decided that instead of just doing what we normally do, like do donations and then go away, we want our staff now to be involved with the communities they live in, we believe that as we do this we will live in a sustainable manner and we will understand the needs of our communities and we can serve our customers and our stakeholders even better,” explained the youthful CEO.
In his interaction with the students, Mpinganjira encouraged them to aim high, citing an example of his father Dr Thomson Mpinganjira, who went through the same career path and managed to build his business empire, including the bank to where it is now.
FDH Officials and Chichiri secondary teachers and students sing the national anthem
“We are the third largest bank in Malawi despite being established in 2002 when we had no single ATM, but now we are a financial institution with more ATMs. Dr Mpinganjira, just like you was a student at Box 2 in Zomba,” said the young Mpinganjira.
To prove it is possible to make it, the CEO shared his story about being a student at Chichiri Primary School from Standard one to eight and aspiring to do his secondary at the institution.
Chichiri Secondary School Headmaster, Allen Mjima commended FDH for choosing to launch the program at their school.
The school’s Head boy, Alex Gondwe also praised the bank for the donation of desks and chairs saying it complements the fight against COVID-19 pandemic.
“We have had a problem of missing classes because students are running up and down looking for chairs to sit on. Sometimes we have students sharing desks which is against rules of fighting the Covid-19 pandemic since social distancing is not adhered to,” he said.
As part of its goal of promoting an inclusive, diverse and sustainable environment, FDH Bank plc in partnership with Press Trust and Ministry of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare recently donated 15,000 fruit trees worth K8.5Million to women under the social cash program to empower them towards sustainable livelihoods in Lizulu, Ntcheu.
Speaking at the tree planting ceremony, FDH Bank Managing Director Dr Ellias Ngalande encouraged the beneficiaries to take care of the fruit trees for they will be a source of income and an investment for the future generations.
“The initiative has reached out to 42 groups and 1552 individuals. The goal is to empower the social cash beneficiaries for a more comprehensive and sustainable livelihood support,” Ngalande said.
“The fruit trees will allow you to not only rely on cash transfers but to have alternate sources of income,” he added.
Ngalande planting a fruit tree in Ntcheu
The Minister of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare Honourable Dr Patricia Kaliati commended FDH Bank Plc and Press Trust for the initiative.
“It is clear that this will benefit the community and the nation at large by not only providing fruits for consumption and businesses but for the conservation of our environment as well. The fruit trees will allow the beneficiaries to not only rely on cash transfers but to have alternate sources of income,” she said.
The seedlings consisting of Banana, Paw-Paw and Mango seedlings were planted around the homes of the beneficiaries to be grown all year round surviving various seasons.
The Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI) has petitioned the Malawi Parliament, calling for an urgent review of the country’s laws governing the status of refugees and asylum seekers to ensure some of the fugitives are integrated into the society.
The human rights watchdog argues that some of the refugees and asylum seekers have proven to be critical to the social and economic development of our nation, despite their status.
Ironically, CDEDI has all along been pushing the Government of Malawi to enforce the laws that give guidance as regards the welfare of refugees and asylum seekers in the country.
CDEDI executive director Sylvester Namiwa said their earlier call for the enforcement of the laws was necessitated by government’s lack of proper monitoring of the refugees and asylum seekers, who had left their designated areas, such as Dzaleka Refugee Camp, and were indulging in various economic activities in towns and cities across the country, illegally.
“CDEDI petitioned President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera on the same matter, and +we were invited for roundtable discussions with the Minister of Homeland Security, Hon. Richard Chimwendo-Banda, as well as the minister of trade, on the same,” said Namiwa after presenting the petition to the Legal Affairs Committee of Parliament on Tuesday afternoon.
He hailed the Ministry of Homeland Security for taking such a bold decision in line with the country’s existing laws and regulations to ensure that all the refugees and asylum seekers have returned to Dzaleka Refugee Camp.
“It is our hope that this ultimatum, which has also been validated by the High Court of Malawi, is really being enforced. However, it is important to point out that the refugees and asylum seekers came to Malawi in search of peace, which they could not find in their own countries and elsewhere! Therefore, we have no one but ourselves to blame, as a country, for allowing these refugees and asylum seekers to leave their designated areas in search of shelter and economic activities outside the refugee camps, all these years,” emphasized Namiwa.
However, the CDEDI boss observed that the government’s ultimatum on the refugees and asylum seekers had unearthed a number of issues that need to be addressed.
He said since the relocation exercise started, the organization has received numerous cases, especially from Malawian who got married to some of the refugees and asylum seekers, whose marriages have now been disintegrated, and they are seeking advice.
Namiwa said it is against this background that CDEDI decided to request the Legal Affairs Committee of Parliament to consider discussing the matter and see if it is worth being tabled in the National Assembly for further debate in order to review the “archaic laws” governing the refugees and asylum seekers in Malawi.
He justified that a better chunk of Malawi’s economy is controlled by foreign based business operators, most of whom have no legal permits for such business activities, precisely the refugees and asylum seekers.
“Some foreign nationals who entered into the country as investors, have beaten the system and are operating as economic migrants, something which is conveniently ignored and rarely discussed; mrriages are at the verge of disintegration – CDEDI has received reports where even top government officials and cabinet ministers married some refugees and asylum seekers and vice versa,” said Namiwa.
He added that some of the refugees and asylum seekers came into Malawi with skills and expertise that have benefited the society, and are rendering essential services in areas of health, education and social work, among other sectors.
He lamented that the recent government directive seems to have been craftly narrowed down only to our brothers and sisters from Rwanda and Burundi, fondly called Maburundi, when the rest, i.e. those from Nigeria, Somalia, India, Pakistan, Lebanon and China are deemed off the hook.
“Some of those affected by the directive have stayed in Malawi, and outside the refugee camp, for over 25 years, thereby raising the questions as to what the law enforcers have been doing all this time? It is important to bear in mind that asylum seekers and refugees also have rights and dignity as human beings, therefore, reports of inadequate space at Dzaleka refugee camp ought to be considered,” emphasized Namiwa.
CDEDI has since requested the Speaker of Parliament, Catherine Gotani Hara, to ensure that the petition is presented and debated within this sitting of parliament, stressing that the matter at hand has far-reaching consequences to the country’s economy.
But in reaction, the Minister of Information and Government Spokesperson, Gospel Kazako, said the government will proceed with the relocation exercise as there is nothing criminal about it and that Malawi is only following the statutes.
Kazako said the incumbent government will not tolerate lawlessness to flourish as it was the case in the previous administrations.
Vice President Salous Chilima has implored research and policy experts gathered at a national agricultural policy conference in Lilongwe to fast track the commercialisation and diversification of the agricultural sector for national development.
Chilima said this on Tuesday when he presided over the official opening of the 2021 Malawi Annual Agricultural Policy Conference at BICC in Lilongwe.
” We need to swiftly move beyond crop enterprise into other non-traditional enterprises, such as livestock and fisheries. This is the only way we will be able to achieve the transformation we have espoused in both the National Agriculture Policy (NIV) and National Agricultural Investment Plan (NAIP),” he said.
Several cabinet ministers, policy makers and high profile researchers are attending the two day conference where research findings will be presented and deliberated upon.
This year, the event is being held under the theme, “Supporting Agriculture Transformation in Malawi: Beyond Research to Implementation.”
” The importance of this conference cannot be over emphasized as it also seeks to effectively recommend quick win initiatives for implementation under the first pillar of the MW2063 using research based evidence,” said Chilima.
The Veep said the timing of the conference and its theme resonates well with the tenets of the MW2063 under the Pillar of Agriculture Productivity and Commercialization as well as the Tonse Alliance’s commitment to the agriculture sector development.
” I do believe that having clear and relevant guidance from sector experts is very important for us because the mega socio-economic trends for the country are currently pointing to an impending socio-economic crisis if we do not act decisively now,” said Chilima.
He said the agriculture sector faces several challenges that need quick fixingsuch as rapid population growth, acute land scarcity, stagnant agricultural growth, and limited off-farm employment opportunities.
“It is clear that transforming the agricultural sector holds the key for enhancing and sustaining the socioeconomic transformation our country yearns for,” he said.
The Malawi Agriculture Advancement and Transformation Agenda (MwAPATA) Institute in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture; the National Planning Commission; the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources; the Malawi Confederation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry; the Civil Society Agriculture Network; and the Donor Committee on Agriculture and Food Security have jointly organised the conference.
The conference is part of a series of annual conferences aimed at providing stakeholders a platform for disseminating new research findings to stakeholders, exploring partnerships in research, and increasing uptake of new research findings in policy making processes in the agriculture sector.
It is expected that the research findings presented and discussed at the conference will be integrated into Malawi’s agricultural policy making processes to support agricultural transformation in line with the Malawi 2063 Vision.
