Health Officials Flout Procedures Re-awarding Mulli MBL Mutli-Million Kwacha Mosquito Net Deal
BY: DRAXON MALOYA
There are divided opinions among senior Ministry of Health officials over reports that government is planning to re-award the Long Lasting Treated Nets (LLNS) distribution exercise deal to Mulli Brothers Limited whose contract was terminated a couple of monthsl ago due to alleged incompetence.
Previous reports indicate that Government of Malawi cancelled Mulli Brothers Limited’s contract of LLNS worth over K535 million because of some inconsistencies and unsatisfactory performance which were reported in some districts.
According to latest reports emerging in the ministry, government seems to have given a go ahead to award the same contract to Mulli Brothers Limited again through the Ministry of Health’s Programmes Implementation Unit (PIU).
One official from the Ministry of Health who spoke on condition of anonymity said, “It is highly unprofessional to award business to someone whose contract was terminated on performance grounds, how can he satisfactorily perform now?” wondered the official who thinks the contract re-awarding process lacks integrity.
Commenting on the re-awarding of the contract to the same. company whose contract was cancelled a couple of months ago due to alleged incompetence the Attorney General, Thabo Chakaka Nyirenda said he has not yet received any report from the Ministry of Health on the matter.
However, Nyirenda said it would not be logical to re-award the contract to a company which failed before and is also on record of being heavily indebted with government having failed to service a K30 billion loan obtained at the Reserve Bank of Malawi and National Oil Company of Malawi NOCMA also led to the collapse of the Malawi Savings Bank (MSB)
“I am yet to go through a number of letters I have been written in relation to the Long Lasting Treated Nets (LLNS) distribution exercise deal at the Ministry of Health but what am hearing is not good enough for economic growth and development in as far as how government contracts are handled,” said Nyirenda.
Commenting on the letter purported to have been written by the Global Fund advising government to consider Mulli’s contract reward the Attorney General said it is un procedural for them to write his office without going through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Efforts to talk to Mulli’s Brothers Limited managing director, Leston Mulli proved futile since his mobile phone went unanswered on several occasions he was called.
The Ministry of Health published an advert in the Daily Times Newspaper late last year inviting tenders for the storage and distribution LLNS nets in some parts of the country after cancellation of the MBL contract.
The development also comes as Attorney General Thabo Chakaka Nyirenda recently also blacklisted MBL from any future government tenders citing that the company used confidential information from Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets (PPDA) to gain business advantage in the Mosquito nets contract but the move was later quashed in court by after MBL sued.
Mulli Brothers Limited is owned by controversial business magnet Leston Mulli who under the erstwhile ruling Democratic Progressive Party also won majority of government’s major contracts.
