By The Forum
President Peter Mutharika has moved to rein in what he describes as excessive local travel by Cabinet ministers, ordering that they limit official domestic trips to one per month in line with government austerity measures.
In a February 11, 2026 memo from the Office of the President and Cabinet, Chief Secretary Justin Saidi informed all ministers and deputy ministers that the President was concerned about a recent surge in local travel.
“His Excellency the President has directed that, effective immediately, all Ministers and Deputy Ministers should limit their local travel to one (1) trip per month,” reads the memo. It adds that any additional essential trip must receive prior approval from the President.
Saidi reminded the ministers that the government is operating under strict austerity measures due to limited public resources. He said rising expenditure on travel allowances and fuel was undermining efforts to control spending.
Frequent local trips — they include familiarisation tours and presiding over meetings — have drawn public criticism, with many viewing them as inconsistent with calls for fiscal prudence at a time when Malawi faces significant economic challenges.
Public scrutiny has also extended to Vice President Jane Ansah over her private trip to the United Kingdom and nationwide travel in her role overseeing disaster management and food relief distribution.
During the 2025/2026 Mid-Year Budget Review in Parliament, Finance Minister Joseph Mwanamvekha announced a raft of austerity measures aimed at strengthening public debt management and fiscal discipline.
Mwanamvekha said the measures are expected to save about MWK44 billion as the administration tightens expenditure controls in the second half of the 2025/2026 fiscal year.
Key measures include minimising both local and foreign travel, restricting procurement of high-value assets, managing the wage bill, and enforcing tighter oversight of delegations.
On external travel by senior public officers, including ministers, Mwanamvekha said trips would be limited to three per year, subject to approval by the relevant authority. The move is intended to ease pressure on foreign exchange reserves and reduce overall expenditure.
He added that the Chief Secretary will determine and approve the size and composition of government delegations for priority trips. For donor-funded travel, he stressed there will be no government top-up allowances.
The Finance Minister also announced that controlling officers in ministries, departments and agencies, including heads of state-owned enterprises, must travel economy class. A moratorium has also been placed on the procurement of new vehicles and other high-value assets until further notice.
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