MALAWI HOUSING CORPORATION WEARS A NEW FACE
09/July/2009

In an effort to spruce its image and improve service delivery, the Malawi Housing Corporation (MHC) is clamping down on corrupt practices within the public enterprise. MHC has plans to undertake several projects including building hundreds of houses for private tenants and public institutions throughout the country.

MHC General Manager, Golden Matiya said since he took office in September 2008, he has worked to combat corruption in the corporation to improve its image and the delivery of services.

He said MHC has strengthened its internal audit function and improved its internal control systems. Through the established systems, the corporation took strict measures to prevent corruption.

MHC has a statutory mandate to undertake on behalf of Government the development, construction and maintenance of housing estates and plots.

During his first inauguration in May 2004, His Excellency Dr. Bingu Wa Mutharika told the nation he would not tolerate corruption and instantly declared war on the vice which he saw as an obstacle to Malawi’s development. The President has maintained his stand to this day.

In agreement with the President’s stance on corruption, MHC has a corruption prevention policy crafted in conjunction with the Anti- Corruption Bureau (ACB).

“Through our systems, we have been able to get rid of staff who were involved in corrupt and fraudulent behaviour within the corporation.

“The drive to clean up the corporation continues. The policy is that of zero tolerance on corruption”, said Matiya, disclosing that since he became the parastatal’s chief executive, more than ten employees have been dismissed for “fraudulent behaviour”.

The statutory corporation’s efforts to clean up its image appear to be bearing fruits.

MHC is among seven statutory companies marked as good performers based on performance assessment that Government conducted last year.

In his State of the Nation address when he opened the 41st session of Parliament and the 2009 – 2010 budget meeting, the President said his Government inherited a very large number of statutory corporations whose contribution to the country’s economy was questionable.

The president continued to say performance of public sector enterprises continued to be mixed. He however pointed out that MHC and a few others generated more than 50% of the targeted revenue.

“Government will continue to monitor performance of parastatals and take appropriate corrective measures to ensure they fulfil their mandates. Those that fail to perform will definitely be closed down”, said the President.

Matiya paid tribute to the country’s leadership, saying Malawi’s favourable economic climate that prevailed over the past five years under the administration of President Bingu Wa Mutharika has enabled MHC to carry out several house construction projects in Blantyre, Lilongwe, Mzuzu and Zomba. (Visit the PROJECTS section of the website for more information on housing projects).

MHC has allocated 16 billion Kwacha to development projects with focus on hostels for public universities, housing for Malawi Defence Force, Malawi Police Service, and private tenants throughout the country.

Other focus areas are cleaning up the internal environment in areas of human resource and staff welfare and improving information technology within the corporation.

MHC will also develop 1,000 plots this year in each of the coming five years and intensify maintenance of its houses throughout the country. (Read more plot development in the PLOT section of the website).

With the launch of its strategic plan, MHC intends to build on the strength of the corporation’s current financial standing to take itself back to the nostalgic house construction momentum of the 1970s.

“This is what we intend to do in the next 12 to18 months. We would like to do this because of the high demand of housing in the country. We would like to speed up this delivery so that demand is reduced”, said Matiya.

Matiya said MHC is keen to improve on the welfare of its staff, adding that two departments under the Office of the President and Cabinet undertook a review of human resource issues within the corporation. Once they are implemented they will go a long way in improving conditions and welfare of staff.

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