Malawi’s crippling gas scarcity, which has left motorists stranded for over a month, has one title etched on the middle of this nationwide scandal: Colleen Zamba. The Secretary to the President and Cabinet has not solely didn’t act, but it surely now emerges that she has spearheaded a corrupt cartel that has pilfered over K60 billion (US$24 million) meant for the nation’s gas procurement, plunging the nation into chaos. The public is lastly waking as much as the reality—Zamba’s internet of corruption is the basis reason behind the disaster that has crippled the financial system and shattered public belief within the authorities.

A Corruption Empire Built on Fuel

At the center of the disaster lies Zamba’s iron grip over NOCMA (National Oil Company of Malawi), the state-owned gas procurement company. Appointed by President Lazarus Chakwera to supervise gas imports, Zamba rapidly turned NOCMA into a private fiefdom. Through her tight management of the board, she handpicked cronies and loyalists to make sure that the stream of cash and contracts would go straight into her pocket—and people of her associates.

But that is greater than mere incompetence; that is criminality. In October 2023, Malawi secured a much-needed mortgage of K125 billion (US$50 million) from the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA) to ease the gas scarcity. Instead of utilizing the funds as meant, over K60 billion has vanished into skinny air—unaccounted for. What occurred to this cash? It was stolen—and Zamba, alongside together with her handpicked allies, is on the coronary heart of it.

The Disappearance of K60 Billion: Zamba’s Black Hole

Zamba’s position within the scandal is now simple. Funds meant to buy gas from respected suppliers had been siphoned off, and NOCMA paid solely a fraction of the cash—simply US$26 million—to suppliers. The relaxation? A black gap. Tens of hundreds of thousands of {dollars} meant to convey gas to the nation disappeared. Senior officers from the Reserve Bank of Malawi and the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) have been unable to account for the lacking cash. Zamba’s private connections and her manipulation of the procurement course of are accountable.

What did Zamba do with the lacking billions? She ensured that gas contracts had been awarded to sham corporations—corporations that had been both non-existent or solely created to line the pockets of these loyal to her. One such firm, the faux Sheikh Ahmed Al Qassimi agency, has been implicated in dodgy offers that noticed hundreds of thousands of liters of gas meant for Malawi bought off to neighboring Zimbabwe as an alternative.

Fuel tankers, loaded with gas paid for by Malawian taxpayers, merely disappeared on their method to Malawi. Instead of fueling the nation, they had been rerouted to Zimbabwe, the place they had been bought for a revenue. Why? Because Zamba and her cartel had been taking cuts from the transactions, on the expense of abnormal Malawians who now endure beneath the load of crippling gas shortages.

Collusion with Hara and Kanyama: A Cartel in Plain Sight

Zamba’s internet of corruption additionally entails high-ranking authorities officers, together with Transport Minister Jacob Hara and former NOCMA CEO Clement Kanyama, each of whom have been implicated within the scandal. Hara, it appears, performed a key position in orchestrating the offers with the faux corporations. Under Zamba’s affect, NOCMA started procuring gas by means of a prolonged and inefficient pipeline from Beira to Zimbabwe—a route that was not solely longer however much more pricey. This was not about guaranteeing gas provide; it was about stealing from the nation.

The plan was easy: By creating pointless middlemen, the cartel would siphon cash from gas contracts and provide offers, all whereas protecting the reality hidden from the general public. For months, Zamba, Kanyama, and Hara pocketed hundreds of thousands whereas Malawi’s gas state of affairs spiraled uncontrolled.

Zamba’s absolute management over the NOCMA board meant that nobody might problem her selections. She stacked the board with loyalists who had no real interest in something apart from pleasing her. This was not governance—it was cartel rule. And now, the implications are plain to see: A nation with out gas, a public in anger, and a determined president struggling to regulate a disaster he by no means anticipated.

The Fake Sheikh: A Scheme Built on Deception

Zamba’s scandalous dealings go even additional. One of her major schemes concerned utilizing a faux Sheikh, purportedly Sheikh Ahmed Al Qassimi, to entrance for a world gas deal that concerned billions of kwachas. Zamba used this bogus deal as a canopy to divert Malawi’s funds into her private coffers. The gas contracts beneath the faux Sheikh by no means materialized, but Malawians paid for them.

Alongside this, Zamba and her allies established one other shell firm, GET Global, to proceed exploiting the gas procurement course of. No one knew the place this firm got here from, or who was behind it. The solely factor that was clear was that the corporate was used to funnel cash away from the individuals of Malawi and into the fingers of Zamba’s internal circle.

Zamba’s Power and Corruption: A Threat to the Nation

Zamba’s grip on energy has been nothing in need of tyrannical. As Secretary to the President, she has used her affect to make sure that her cartel thrives, whereas the individuals of Malawi have paid the worth. Zamba’s corruption has not solely brought on the present gas scarcity—it has endangered the nation’s future. By blocking sincere suppliers and inflating costs by means of middlemen, Zamba has saved the nation in a perpetual state of financial limbo.

Despite the mounting proof, Zamba has proven no regret. Instead, she stays a central determine in Malawi’s political elite, undeterred by the struggling of abnormal individuals. Her energy, nevertheless, is now beneath risk. President Chakwera, after months of inaction, has lastly launched a forensic audit into the lacking funds and corruption at NOCMA. But will or not it’s sufficient to convey Zamba to justice?

The Cartel’s Last Stand

As the strain mounts, the cartel that Zamba has led is combating again. With the resurfacing of former NOCMA CEO Hellen Buluma and different senior figures, the plan to dismantle the corruption at NOCMA has begun. However, this combat is not going to be simple. Zamba’s allies nonetheless occupy key positions, and the networks of corruption she has constructed are deep and far-reaching.

But one factor is evident: Zamba’s days of pilfering from the individuals of Malawi should come to an finish. The K60 billion she misused might have been used to safe gas provides, construct infrastructure, and stabilize the financial system. Instead, she turned it into a private slush fund. Malawi deserves higher. The public should demand that Zamba be held accountable for her actions—earlier than extra lives are ruined by her corruption.

Conclusion: Zamba Must Pay for Her Crimes

Colleen Zamba has stolen from the individuals of Malawi, and her corruption has straight contributed to the gas disaster that has shaken the nation. Her manipulation of NOCMA and her position within the disappearance of over K60 billion can not go unpunished. The time for accountability has arrived. The individuals of Malawi demand justice. Zamba should face the implications of her greed and be faraway from energy—earlier than she sinks the nation additional into despair.

The story of Zamba is a narrative of unbridled corruption at its worst. If Malawi is to recuperate, it should start by ridding itself of the poison that she has unleashed upon the nation.

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