The battle over awarding of contract to Agillis International Inc. a brief case film to supply and implement the Consolidated ICT Regulatory Management System (Cirms) to Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) is said to be the epicenter behind the firing of MACRA Board, Malawi Voice has learnt.
On Friday President Lazarus Chakwera ordered the firing of MACRA Board over a trivial matter that the board used tax payers’ money to attend a capacity building training in Dubai.
“I was therefore dismayed, Honourable Minister Kazako, by your report of the wasteful spending happening at MACRA.
That the Board Chair of MACRA could not find a more cost-effective way of enhancing the capacity of board members than taking them to Dubai and blowing millions is a clear sign that the leadership of MACRA Board needs to change immediately,” instructed Chakwera
Ironically, the said Information Minister Kazako was the one who approved the trip to Dubai and of the late others boards such as EGENCO also attended similar capacity building in Dubai.
However, the publication has learnt that Kazako and the acting Principal Secretary in the Ministry Francis Bisika used the Dubai trip to get rid of the board, who they accuse of blocking the Aglis deal.
The board is on record to have terminated the $6.9 million (about K4.6 billion), a discussion which did not please Kazako and Bisika who was by then Czar Deputy Director General for MACRA.
“When the Board saw how many dollars in millions have been spent towards this project it decided to terminate this agreement.” Said the source.
Bisika, who was fired at MACRA of the same dubious contract, is trying hard to use his recent position as the acting PS for information to have the dubious contract renewed for his personal gains.
The publication has further learnt that for the past four weeks ago, Kazako and Bisika have been flying to South Africa to meet Agillis team on the discuss on the possibility of renewing the contract.
It remains an open secret, that information Minister Kazako and his errand boy Bisika wants to replace the board with a new board which they can easily manipulate in renewing the Agillis contract.