By The Forum

Malawi’s First Vice President Jane Ansah has returned home after spending several weeks in the United Kingdom, where she attended birthday celebrations for her husband, who resides there, amid continuing questions over who paid for the trip.

When Ansah departed Malawi on December 26, 2025, State House said the visit would be a “working holiday” during which she would also carry out official duties.

She arrived at Kamuzu International Airport (KIA) in Lilongwe on Wednesday and was officially welcomed by senior government officials, including Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Charles Mhango, Presidential Advisor on National Unity David Kambalame, and officials from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

The trip sparked public controversy following conflicting statements from senior government officials regarding its cost and funding.

On December 31, 2025, President Peter Mutharika told Malawians that Ansah had used her personal resources to finance the trip, despite earlier indications that public funds would be used. Prior to her departure, government spokesperson and Minister of Information Shadric Namalomba said the Vice President’s trip, involving a five-member delegation, would cost taxpayers MWK168 million.

Namalomba said the total cost, including travel expenses and allowances, had initially been estimated at MWK294.7 million but was reduced in line with austerity measures.

The controversy intensified after leaked documents suggested that Ansah had planned to travel with a 15-member delegation, a trip that would have cost taxpayers nearly MWK2 billion.

The contradictory explanations from the President and the government spokesperson have triggered renewed calls for transparency and accountability.

The Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) described the statements issued by senior members of the Executive as “conflicting, misleading and irreconcilable,” saying they failed to address public concerns about the trip.

“Instead, the nation has been served with shifting and contradictory narratives that insult public intelligence and erode public trust in government,” read part of a statement signed by HRDC chairperson Michael Kaiyatsa and national coordinator Kelvin Chirwa.

HRDC said it had obtained information “from inside sources” indicating that a delegation of 15 individuals accompanied the Vice President, with some travelling on the day of departure and others joining at later stages.

“These statements are essentially contradictory and deeply troubling,” Kaiyatsa and Chirwa said. “The government has failed to provide a single, coherent and verifiable explanation. This persistent lack of clarity raises serious concerns about possible misrepresentation of facts, misuse of public resources and deliberate obfuscation by those entrusted with public authority.”

The organisation has demanded full public disclosure of the number and identities of all individuals who travelled with Ansah, an itemised breakdown of the total cost of the trip, the funding sources — whether public or private — and the legal authority under which any public funds were approved or spent.

HRDC has also called on Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to launch an independent investigation into the matter.

However, PAC chairperson Steve Malondela said the committee had not yet received any formal communication from HRDC or any other party regarding the request.

“We haven’t formally received any information or communication from anyone, including HRDC, regarding the expenditure on the Vice President’s trip,” Malondela told The Forum.

He said the committee acts on evidence rather than speculation and urged HRDC or any member of the public with credible information to follow established procedures.

“When dealing with public finances, our committee follows every penny, whether it’s MWK1 or MWK100. Every expenditure in public institutions is scrutinised to determine whether it was lawful,” he said.

Meanwhile, Chirwa confirmed that HRDC is preparing to formally submit its request to the Public Accounts Committee.

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