UK gives Malawi £65million in aid – while President’s wife spends £80k on trip to London
BRITAIN donated a huge £65million aid package to poverty-stricken Malawi each year – but taxpayer money was spent funding the first lady’s first-class trip to London to celebrate her son’s graduation.
Malawi is one of the poorest nations on the African continent, where people are said to be “dying from a lack of medicines”, and UK has offered support with huge funds.
But news has emerged that the country’s first lady, Gertrude Mutharika, came to Britain last week to celebrate her son’s graduation from a British university.
The small African nation has, for years, been blighted by scandal and corruption within its government.
But reports claim the president’s wife blew £80,000 of taxpayer funds on the lavish trip, which reportedly included putting up aides at the five-star Dorchester Hotel, which charged £5,500 a night for use of its suites.
The first lady flew to see her son Tadikira Mafubza graduate from the University of Greenwich last Thursday – with Malawian authorities admitting the trip was “Government funded” and that the President’s wife was accompanied by seven aides, according to the Mail on Sunday.
One member of the trip is alleged to have said the week was “the best time of my life” because “everything is paid for”.
The reports have caused outrage in Malawi, where people are forced to survive on an average income of just over £1 per day.
Angry protesters took to the streets to demand the first lady, reimburses the funds.
They also claim election fraud in May, which results in Peter Mutharkia retaining his grip on power.
A spokesman for the Malawian Government said: “I can confirm Her Excellency Mrs Mutharkia is in the UK at our Government’s expense.
“Her travel, security and accommodation were arranged by our High Commission in London.”
The £80,000 cost is an estimate, based on seven entourage members flew economy class to London and were given a standard living allowance £2,300 each for the week long trip, in addition to other costs incurred.
Meanwhile, a source at the Malawian High Commission spoke of their anger at the trip.
The source said: “The first lady and her son are out here squandering taxpayers’ money while ordinary citizens are dying in hospitals due to a lack of medicines.
“This is really sad – it should not be allowed. Such conduct is tantamount to crimes against humanity.”
In May the former Development Secretary, Rory Stewart, said Malawi was a shining example of the failure of Britain’s foreign aid policy.
He said: “The Government has spent something in the region of £4.5billion over the past 50 years and Malawi is, if anything, poorer than it was when we started.”
The Department for International Development (DFID) spends £65million a year in the country.
Figures show that 19 percent of that figure is spent on governance and security and round 52 percent used to fund “human development projects”.
It also confirmed through a report that a “loss of DFID funds” were “due to fraudulent and corrupt activities”.
However, a spokesperson for the department said: “No UK aid funding is given directly to the Government of Malawi and no UK aid has been spent on this visit”.
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