Friday, May 20, 2011

International Development, Andrew Mitchell, to Malawi president, Bingu wa Mutharika.

Dear Mr President

We recently agreed that Malawi should be one of 27 priority countries for future UK development support. Stephen O’Brien discussed our future plans with you in January, and confirmed them in his letter of 24 February to your Finance Minister. But as you know, following your expulsion of our High Commissioner, we’re reviewing the wider relationship with Malawi. Before I make decisions on the future of the aid programme, I would welcome your views on the concerns set out in this letter. Until I have completed my consideration of these issues, following your response, I will not be making any budget commitments to Malawi.

Our partnership is based on a commitment to poverty reduction, respect for human rights and accountability and sound public financial management. Malawi’s economy has grown well in recent years, and good progress has been made on maize production and against some of the MDGs. But major development challenges remain and I am concerned that some of the policies of your government may jeopardise progress in reducing poverty.

First, there are growing risks to the Malawi economy, which if not urgently addressed will seriously limit progress in reducing poverty. Malawi’s chronic foreign exchange shortages are having a very serious impact on the private sector, which should be driving future growth. Declining global demand for tobacco combined with rising fuel and fertiliser prices also suggest a serious terms of trade shock for Malawi. In the short term this requires some changes to economic policy agreed with the IMF. In the short term export competitiveness, power shortages, high transport and finance costs and skills gaps need to be addressed. These issues are all covered by joint work between your government and the development partners, but I’m unclear what action you propose to take. As a relatively small and landlocked country, there are opportunities to take advantage of regional integration of transport and power. Again I am not sure of your government’s intentions.

Second, on human rights and domestic accountability, I welcome the greater transparency and accountability around the national budget and consultations to inform the new Malawi Growth and Development Strategy. But there have been a number of worrying developments over the last eighteen months. Reports that demonstrations have been suppressed and civil society organisations intimidated indicate that space for normal democratic debate is narrowing and that tolerance for opposition voices, and for organisations that can help to hold the government to account, is declining. Stephen O’Brien raised with you in January our concerns about the implications of the revised Penal Code for freedom of expression and minority rights. We are extremely disappointed to learn that this Bill was signed into law shortly afterwards and that homosexuality between women will be criminalised. I hope also that we can work together to ensure that institutions, such as the National Audit Office, the Anti Corruption Bureau, the Ombudsman and the Malawi Human Rights Commission, are given the necessary independence and financial support to do their jobs and provide a formal avenue for Malawians seeking redress.

Third, on public financial management, I remain concerned about the use of scarce public resources for luxury items, including the $22 million plane in 2009 and continued purchase of expensive cars. As you will recall, the UK deducted 3 million pounds of general budget support in 2009 and recently reclaimed 500,000 pounds following evidence of poor value procurements in the health sector. I understand that reviews of fertiliser and road procurement highlight opportunities for major savings. At a time of austerity in the UK when the Coalition Government has agreed to continue increasing the aid budget, I need to be able to assure British taxpayers that partner governments are using our resources, and theirs to deliver better results in reducing poverty. I would welcome reassurance on your commitment to value for money and details of your next steps.

Fourth, I was disappointed with the Government’s slow and limited response to the hunger faced by many families in Southern Malawi, following localised droughts in 2009/10, especially given the assurances I received last November. This weak response undermines the Government’s very positive record in improving food security at the national level.

I look forward to your response on all of these issues, which are fundamental to our future partnership. I would like to reassure you that we respect Malawi’s right to shape its own policies. But you will understand that I also have responsibilities to the British taxpayer to ensure that their money is used to reduce poverty in the most effective way. I will be making decisions on the UK’s development programme in Malawi by the end of June. I would like to take account of your answer to this letter and would be happy to discuss the concerns in this letter with you. I also intend to consult Malawi’s other development partners. The Foreign Secretary, the Right Hon William Hague, will be interested in your reply as he considers other aspects of the UK’s relationship with Malawi.

With best regards

Yours sincerely

ANDREW MITCHELL
SECRETARY OF STATE, DEPARTMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

CC
Hon Prof Etta Banda MP, Minister of Foreign Affairs
Hon Ken Kandodo MP, Minister of Finance
Hon Abbie Shawa MP, Minister of Development Planning and Cooperation

Thursday, May 19, 2011

The return of floods in Karonga

April Fools’ Day, that was it: Friday April 1 2011. I would say it was very early in the morning. I say very early in the morning because it was around 3am. I was still in bed half sleeping and half awake and listening to the BBC World Service.

I have told myself to take it as awkward to get a phone call around that time unless my phone rings more than three times or it is that most peculiar tone which means the fiancĂ©e is calling. She’s among the few that possess visas to call anytime.

But the one I got on that April Fools’ Day was nowhere near the peculiar tone. They were the traditional tones I set to my handsets. First, it was the handset with the TNM line. It briefly rang on two occasions. Flashers, I told myself.

Then, before I cured myself from that disturbance, the second happened. It was the handset with the Airtel line. It briefly rang twice as well. I quickly told myself that it should be someone who knew the two of my numbers – a relative, maybe, and my immediate elder brother came to mind. What could it be, I asked myself.

I woke up, fished out the handsets and it was not the brother. It was someone from Karonga whom I have known since I transferred to Mzuzu. We talk often, less on a personal note and more on a business one.

Hypotheses went around my head. It must be fire at a shop, I told myself. No, it should be another devastating earthquake. No, but eeeeh! Hey, you are not sure – I told myself. Call! Yes, call! I called and the guy sounded so devastated that I quickly shed off the half-sleep.

The man was rusty but I clearly heard ‘Fargo’ and ‘floods’. I quickly thought something belonging to Fargo Limited has been washed away. But I fell short of asking myself what that could be as I have never heard of Fargo in Karonga.

Was it an April Fools’ Day? I never thought so because I convinced myself this guy knows nothing about it. Again, it appears we both know what issues we can personally discuss and to which limits.

Floods? Yes! Just a few weeks before this I saw floods around Malungo area in the district and just after the North Rukuru roadblock. I remember a hawker plying his trade near the roadblock challenging that the floods could not bring down his stall because it is strong. He sold me a packet of biscuits while standing in water flowing through his shop.

I called the guy first thing in the morning and we understood each other this time around. A dyke constructed in 1985 to block water from North Rukuru River from flooding a number of areas around the boma had collapsed.

As is the case in many areas, people there called the dyke Fargo because it was constructed by Fargo Limited. It is the collapsing of the dyke that resulted in the flooding. The issues were connected now.

We talked about the state of the affairs there and I quickly thought I should verify the details with the office of the District Commissioner. I called the DC, Gasten Macheka, and he sounded a worried man.

He said Baka area around the boma was in danger of being completely submerged. The dyke that collapsed had shielded this low lying area from fluctuating water levels in North Rukuru River since 1985.

True to his fears, the worst was to come a week later. It was on Thursday, April 7. I had just sank in bed at around 10pm. The same man called again this time sounding more devastated than before.

“It has rained heavily and is still raining here. Floods are everywhere. I don’t know where I should take my property because the water is knee high inside the house now. There is water everywhere outside the house,” said the man.

Before I completely digested his story, another one called. It was from the Karonga main market, one of the only reasonably higher areas around the boma. He told me that water was everywhere and business in the market had completely grounded.

I tried to put together the bits and get a wider picture. I talked to a few people who confirmed that the situation was horrible. But I failed to confirm the situation.

The DC was already locked in a crisis meeting as early as 7am on Friday. Karonga police spokesperson Enock Livasoni was more concerned himself. His colleagues at Kaporo police post were swimming because there was water all over the place.

Livasoni was there. He told me four people had been confirmed dead and one of them died while trying to save his cattle from the floods.

I waited for the DC and when I got him I knew the floods had returned to Karonga. He told me that 60 villages were affected, up to 348 houses had collapsed and 3,287 people were destitute. All these were from Traditional Authorities Kilupula, Mwakaboko and Kyungu.

Most of the affected had camped on the M1 tarmac road to Songwe border post. But this was not the complete picture. The assessment was continuing and there were other areas in the southern part of the district that had been affected by the floods as well.

I had never heard of such degrees of flooding in Karonga with the only closer picture being around 2005. Hence, having had the current picture, I knew an old monster had come to haunt again.

And I remain concerned for the welfare of those affected just as I am concerned about the disaster recovery programme put in place because of the devastating effects of earthquakes that hit mainly the district and Chitipa at the end of 2009.

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Business in the face of poor sanitation

As she sits between her bags of maize just outside the Karonga district market, Bertha Nyondo has to strive to deal with three things: an offensive smell from a drain lying nearby, scorching heat and customers.

One hand stands still under the pressure of an umbrella; another keeps flying across her face from side to side. She has to fan off the offensive smell and wipe the sweat dripping down her face. As all this happens, her mind has to focus on the customer.

Nyondo and other, mainly, female businesspersons and their bags of maize sit just above a drain full of stagnant water. A look at this water cannot be sustained. So you can concentrate on negotiating the price of a tin of maize with Nyondo or others. But the smell from this water quickly aborts such negotiations.

“This stinking is how the situation is like here. We have complained to the district council about this situation but we cannot force them to come and improve it. So I just have to concentrate on my business,” says Nyondo.

“I leave everything to the people from the council. After all, we pay something to them every day for us to sell our maize here. So they have to come and clean this place every day.”

Nyondo’s sentiments can easily fuel debate as regards who is responsible for ensuring that the environment like where she sits every day is free from any disturbing developments like the stench from nearby.

However, she attests that one thing is exact: the more the sanitation is poor around her, the more people shun her business.

About 100 metres from where Nyondo plies her trade, 30-year-old Mercy Gondwe testifies to how poor sanitation has left her struggling to pin down customers.

With her baby on her back, she sits on a bench just outside a small room. She stares at a small hill of trash just in front of her, stagnant water all around it. She has prepared a variety of meals and her being out here is to woo customers to buy the meals.

“I struggle everyday to get a customer into my restaurant because they say they do not enjoy their meals while seeing trash just outside the restaurant,” she said while pointing at the collection of stinking trash that included leftover foods.

“There was a bin there in which people were throwing waste matters. But although the bin is no longer there, people are still dumping their wastes there. And our businesses are what suffer because of this.”

The collection of trash she referred to produces a strong smell, and it is this smell that makes one feel uncomfortable when in Gondwe’s restaurant.

The trash gets wet during night downpours and although it is often very hot during the day, this trash maintains moisture thereby keeping the environment around it wet.

Poor drainage also worsens the situation. Even if it rained days ago, stagnant water remains all around Gondwe’s place.

She lacks comparative figures for each of the corresponding seasons, but Gondwe remains sure that poor sanitation causes business misfortunes in her restaurant because such misfortunes are not there in the dry season.

“All these things were not there when I was doing the same business within the bus depot complex even during the rainy season. The situation there is a little bit clean,” said Gondwe.

“So many people were coming to eat from my restaurant and I did not even have problems to get them into there.”

Like in many urban and suburban locations in the country, waste management in Karonga is a problem. Trash litters almost everywhere around the boma area and collecting it to dumping sites is usually a problem.

A report prepared by the Environmental District Officer (EDO) late last year indicates that there is only one vehicle to collect and ferry the trash to the dumping site. Unfortunately, the vehicle is old.

“Apart from the district council, not many members of the civil society or private sector are taking part in waste management in the district,” says the report.

It adds that only the only organisation coming closer to ensuring proper sanitation in the district is the Malawi Red Cross which is undertaking a sanitation project involving construction of sanitation facilities in some of the rural areas. The facilities only include hand washing facilities, urinals and pit latrines.

This means that there is no private sector involvement in the collection and dumping of wastes like that in front of Gondwe’s restaurant. Hence such a responsibility remains the district council’s.

“The presence of only one vehicle makes the town council fail to implement the collection of the refuse from the households to the dumping site,” says the report of the 3-tonne tractor.

“Workers in the markets [also] complain about shortage of financial resources, human resources, working materials and safety gear. Working materials include: shovels, wheelbarrows, rakes, bins; and safety wear includes gumboots, overalls and many other tools.

“These are really in short supply and they defuse the morale of the cleaners to perform effectively. The town section has ever supplied some of these items but vandalism has been a discouraging factor.”

According to the report, there are currently no strategic plans in place to improve the status of waste management in the district. There are only proposals and suggestions on how the situation can be improved.

As such, for now, people like Nyondo and Gondwe are doomed to doing their business in this poorly sanitised environment. And this means fewer customers coming to buy from them.

Mysterious cattle that don’t have the mystery

One who has travelled down the Livingstonia escarpments from the location of the Mchenga coal grading machine down to Chiweta – or down Boliwoli – especially during the rainy season will live to remember a common sight henceforth.

You may just hear a bell ringing as you get engulfed in fear because of the steep slopes that leave you shaking in your seat. Or, you will see cattle dung in the middle of the road – testimony that the cattle turned the tarmac into bed. Or, mainly at night, you will find the cattle lying in the middle of the road.

I have had this captivating experience more often. And, often, I have failed miserably to convince people that the cattle that ring their bells, or dump their dung or lay stubbornly in the middle of the road are not mysterious as many think.

So mysterious have many people believed these cattle are that when you travel on a ride up or down the escarpments, you will hear neighbours sharing stories about the ‘mystery’ these cattle boast.

Magic at work

One will say the owner of these cattle died a long time ago – maybe before you were born – but these cattle have remained a fixture in the escarpments and all they have done is to multiply and keep filling the road with their dung.

Another will say that the fact that these cattle roam the bush in the escarpments even at night without being stolen or killed shows that they are fortified with magic.

Yet others will say that the fact that these cattle do not run away from the middle of the road even when loaded trucks approach them is testimony that the magic with which they are fortified is so potent that it forces drivers to, usually, stop or travel at snail speed and ably pass them without killing one.

In the line of duty

The latest I heard people debate this was last week. After finishing my business on Thursday I thought I should spend my time doing some feature stories around Chilumba in Karonga.

We passed through the area infested with the ‘mysterious’ cattle at around 10:20pm. We saw two groups about 10 metres apart. One group occupied a lane and another was grazing by the road side. It is common for cattle to graze at night especially when the moon is shining.

I heard a male passenger telling his female seat mate in front of me that the cattle we had seen are fortified with magic and the owner died a long time ago.

He said one cannot kill the cattle which is why they kept multiplying and never got stolen. He claimed that even if one killed the cattle, they would not eat the meat because it can’t be cooked.

One season phenomenon

I asked the man if he had seen all this by himself. Seemingly not ready to give in, he repeated exactly what he had told the lady passenger. I felt the impetus run around my body telling me that this time around I would defeat the claimant.

I started by telling him what happens around the area and why the cattle are not stolen. I told him I came from near the place we were passing through and personally knew the owners of the ‘mysterious’ cattle.

Having been involved in such a practice back in those days, I told the man that it was common for people to ‘abandon’ their cattle in the bush like this. The practice was particularly common in the rainy season when all land close to the homes was used for growing crops.

The man never bought it and only succumbed after I dealt him a lethal blow. I let him argue his cause. And when he seemed finished, I posed two questions to him. First, I asked whether he has ever lived close to where we saw the ‘mysterious’ cattle. Second, I asked whether he had seen the cattle we saw in the same area in the dry season.

Naked evidence

The man succumbed and never spoke again. In the dry season the cattle are grazed on the land used for crops.

Evidence of what I had said presented itself in total nakedness on Saturday afternoon. I had joined some media colleagues on the way back to Mzuzu and there were four of us the ride.

As we neared the top end of the escarpments, we saw four cattle grazing by the road side. I asked the colleague that was driving to slow down a bit so I could take a photo.

I fished my phone and snapped the cattle, telling my colleagues what I was up to. About half a kilometre later, we heard the bell and later saw someone driving the cattle towards the location of the coal grading machine.

We could not hesitate but stop. We pounded the man who identified himself as Sangwani Chisambo with questions. He confirmed what I had told the people some two days earlier. People dump their cattle here during the rainy season because they cultivate the land near their homes.

The cattle are taken back home in the evening. He said they only sleep in the area when nobody goes to get them. This happens when people are tired with their jobs. Chisambo is a driver and that is what keeps him busy during the day.