Malawian police have impounded 300 bags of fertilizer from ruling party regional governor for the north, Harry Mkandawire, when they stormed his house for search and arrested him.
Eye witness said police stormed Mkandawire’s residence upon a “tip-off” from the public that Mkandawire was frustrating the fertilizer subsidy programme by denying members of the opposition parties from benefitting. Police confirmed the incident and said investigations are underway.
Meanwhile, government spokesperson Patricia Kaliati said the fertilizer subsidy programme is meant to benefit only those that cannot afford to by the fertilizer at K4, 000 ($30) and not everybody.
"This fertilizer subsidy is not universal," said Kaliati at Kasungu Community Centre Hall during a stakeholders meeting. We know that many people have complained not to have benefited from the subsidy programme therefore government has printed 30,000 additional coupons to fill the gap," she disclosed.
Traditional leaders in the blamed for the fertilizer subsidy failure on poor planning by the agriculture staff, describing them as corrupt and intimidating.
President Bingu wa Mutharika, who is also minister of agriculture, has blames the opposition for being behind the poor distribution of the farm inputs.
Elsewhere, police on Friday impounded 71 bags of fertilizer from local traders suspected to have stolen the bags in Mchinji. Superintendent Jacob Kakhongwe said police impounded the fertilizer from some local traders who did not have any legal documents for doing business related to the farm inputs.
Kakhongwe said the police got suspicious upon seeing that some fertilizer which was being offloaded from a lorry onto another vehicle was related to government subsidized fertilizer.
