EYE SPY:The Malawians are cheeky!

[BAK]

EYE SPY:The Malawians are cheeky!

ADAM LUSEKELO
THIS DAY
DAR ES SALAAM ​

OUR southern neighbours, the Malawians have decided to be cheeky. They have just arrested their former President Bakili Muluzi on charges of stealing $11m (14bn/- ) in donor money.

''We have re-arrested him and charged him with 87 counts on allegations of siphoning over $11m of donor money into his private account,'' Said the country's Anti-Corruption Bureau Chief, Alex Nampota.

This is just not fair! This is far from the good neighborliness our rulers parrot everyday when they are watching the dancers at their host's airports. I mean, the Malawians are deliberately upstaging Tanzanians in the war against big time corruption.

The bureau has been investigating Muluzi for the past two years for allegedly pocketing money from Taiwan, Morocco, Libya and other donors. This explains why most of our African rulers are forever on begging trips abroad.

You would imagine the donor money is mostly used for decent schools, hospitals and clean water, wouldn't you? Hamna! Most of the dosh is used by the rulers to buy, mostly, toys to impress their chicks.

I've just been to Malawi on an extensive tour. Nice and friendly and honest people. But they are scandalously poor, like most of us in Bongo, even though the present boss Bingu wa Mutharika is seen to be doing something about it.

And no, he is not my uncle, I was not on a Malawi PR trip. It's just that something is being done in Malawi. But what I can't understand is their former president Bakili Muluzi's charges.

He was, and still is a businessman. Like the Maasai with cattle, the game becomes businessmen with money. They end up believing that all money belongs to them and the rest of us can go to hell.

Presumably Muluzi started assuming that the donor money was not being given to Malawians, but it was meant for him. He could have assumed that the donors gave him the money because of his good looks! Something happens to people when they achieve power.

But it looks like something is also happening on our side of Africa. First it was the Zambians. They decided that they had enough crap when they hauled former President Frederick Chiluba to the courts for allegedly stealing $48m (55bn/-). His case is still in court.

After being charged, Chiluba suddenly developed high blood pressure. He now has to spend most of his pension money travelling to South Africa for medical attention.

Tanzania's show has been low key. Former ministers have been hauled before the courts. Most people suspect a Hollywood-like block buster.

With the elections coming next year, the present rulers want to show they are going to brook no nonsense from corrupt rulers. Tanzanians are waiting for a sequel to this year's political movie.

Our neighbours in the north, Kenya, are watching this business of hauling the demi-gods that are African presidents very nervously. They are more comfortable with the impunity that has engulfed the nation's top officials and politicians. Just like Bongo.

But some Kenyan civil groups are getting very impatient. ''The Government knows it must deal with high level corruption that is rampant,'' said George Nyongeza, spokesman of the People's Parliament, a forum for ordinary citizens formed 15 years ago to focus on development and good governance.

''We want to see big shots sacked and prosecuted�for us to know that there is some seriousness in fighting graft,'' he said. At least in Bongo some people have had a whiff of the smells of jail.

mbwene2@yahoo.com

 

[Phillemon Mikael]

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