HRDC challenges contradictory accounts of the Vice President’s overseas trip as government moves to tighten control over official statements.

By Edwin Mauluka

The controversy surrounding Vice President Jane Ansah’s private trip to the United Kingdom (UK) has continued to unsettle government officials, triggering fresh efforts to reassure the public over concerns of wasteful public spending and poor communication.

On 31 December 2025, President Peter Mutharika told Malawians that Ansah had used her personal resources for the trip, despite earlier plans indicating the use of public funds.

“I wish to report that the Vice President assured me that she would use her private resources on her trip,” Mutharika said in a statement, adding that “my administration remains firmly committed to exercising the highest level of prudence and accountability in the management of public resources.”

However, prior to the trip, Government Spokesperson and Minister of Information Shadric Namalomba had announced that Ansah would travel with a five-member delegation at a cost of MWK168 million, covering international travel and allowances. He said the figure had been reduced from MWK294.7 million in line with austerity measures.

The announcement followed public backlash after leaked documents suggested the Vice President intended to travel with up to 15 officials, a move that would have cost taxpayers nearly MWK2 billion. The leaks fuelled criticism that government was failing to practise the austerity and fiscal restraint it had repeatedly promised.

The conflicting statements from the President and the government spokesperson have since sparked renewed demands for transparency and accountability.

Reacting to the developments, the Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) described the explanations from senior government officials as “conflicting, misleading, and irreconcilable.”

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

HRDC says it has obtained information that directly contradicts both Namalomba’s statement and President Mutharika’s New Year address regarding the trip.

According to the organisation, a delegation of 15 individuals accompanied the Vice President, with seven travelling on the day of her 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.”

HRDC noted that the issue goes beyond the trip itself, touching on public accountability at a time when Malawians are being urged to endure austerity measures and cuts to essential services.

“Leaders cannot demand sacrifice from citizens while practising opacity at the highest levels of government,” the statement added.

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

“In the case of private funds, HRDC demands independent verification submitted to Parliament to ensure that public resources were not indirectly used,” the statement said.

HRDC has further called on Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee to investigate the matter in order to establish the facts, determine accountability, and restore public confidence in the oversight of public finances. The organisation has also warned of possible civic and legal action should the concerns remain unaddressed.

Ansah left Malawi on Friday, 26 December 2025, for the UK, where she joined her husband, Bishop Joseph Addo Ansah, in Nottingham to celebrate his 80th birthday. State House said the Vice President would also undertake official engagements during the trip and is expected back in Malawi on 10 January 2026.

Meanwhile, the Office of the Vice President has announced new measures aimed at strengthening the credibility of its official communications.

Communications and Public Relations Officer Richard Mveriwa said all statements, notices, and public communications from the Office of the Vice President will now carry an official stamp and be signed by an authorised officer.

“Members of the public are advised that any statement purporting to originate from, or relate to, the Vice President that does not bear the official stamp and signature should be treated as fake and disregarded,” Mveriwa said in a statement issued on Monday.

The controversy has also reignited scrutiny of government’s broader commitment to fiscal discipline. During the 2025/2026 Mid-Year Budget Review, Finance Minister Joseph Mwanamvekha unveiled austerity measures presented as evidence of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration’s resolve to rein in public debt and protect public resources.

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