Eight years ago the number of principal secretaries (PSs) reduced from 96 to 35 following reforms, but the past two years has seen the addition of more than 10 PSs cumulatively consuming K1 billion in salaries every year.

The increase in the number of PSs is a departure from the spirit of reforms and austerity measures which the Tonse Alliance administration has been preaching.

Chitsulo: This is symptomatic of a larger problem

This has meant taxpayers paying more as a PS is entitled to a Toyota Prado TX which costs between K100 million and K115 million apart from a monthly allocation of 500 litres of fuel for local running. At current pump price, 500 litres fetches around K1 million.

In addition to other benefits such as medical scheme, a PS gets K50 000 airtime monthly.

The new administration first increased the number of PSs by 12 when President Lazarus Chakwera increased Cabinet portfolios from 18 to 23.

At the time, six PSs who had been deployed to the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) were replaced.

Parliament has since cautioned the Executive against increasing the wage bill for the controlling officers, saying it needs to first improve the effectiveness of existing personnel before considering any additional appointments.

In an interview on Wednesday, Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairperson Joyce Chitsulo observed that what is worrisome is that majority of such appointments are from outside the civil service.

Said Chitsulo: “This undermines the commitment to a meritorious civil service. Individuals who have dedicated their life to public service should not be sidelined. This is symptomatic of a larger problem in public service management in this country.”

In as much as government has a responsibility to identify the best capable Malawians from anywhere to drive the national agenda, Chitsulo stressed that consideration must be given to officers that have dedicated their life to the civil service.

Secretary to President and Cabinet (SPC) Colleen Zamba did not respond to our questionnaire, but in an earlier interview she backed the appointments of additional PSs for the Ministry of Agriculture, arguing that the country is implementing a lot of programmes.

A 2018 wage bill analysis by the United States Agency for International Development (USaid) found that fuel allowance is highly lucrative for senior civil servants.

According to the paper titled ‘Leadership in Public Financial Management II’, only civil servants in grades A to C (i.e. Chief Secretary, Deputy Chief Secretary, and Principal Secretary) are entitled to the allowance.

In April, 2020, our sister newspaper, Nation on Sunday highlighted that six PSs in the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government were enjoying benefits of a deputy chief secretary, an expensive arrangement that contradicts the reforms agenda.

Chakwera on May 31 2022 unveiled austerity measures to stabilise the shaky economy that forced the government to devalue the kwacha by 25 percent.

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