By Our Reporter
Police in Mangochi have arrested five people, including two employees of the Smallholder Farmers Fertilizer Revolving Fund of Malawi (SFFRFM), on allegations of illegally charging extra money to farmers buying fertilizer under the Affordable Inputs Programme (AIP).
Mangochi Police spokesperson Amina Tepani Daudi said the arrests were made at the SFFRFM Makawa depot following reports that some officials, working with suspected middlemen, were demanding additional payments from farmers beyond the official price.
The suspects have been identified as John Kamwana, 29, and Yafeti Mwale, 26, both SFFRFM employees, alongside Eunice Moyo, 60, Idrissah Richard, 52, and Hassan Mzenda, 39, who are suspected to have acted as middlemen.
Daudi said police received complaints from residents of Mkali area that the suspects were demanding an extra K20,000 from farmers, on top of the official K10,000 price for a 50-kilogramme bag of fertilizer. Acting on the information, police conducted a sting operation and recovered K1.1 million in cash from the suspects.
“The money is believed to have been collected from 55 farmers who were buying fertilizer under the programme,” Daudi said.
She added that during questioning, all five suspects admitted to the alleged malpractice and are expected to be taken to court soon to answer charges related to corruption and abuse of office.
According to police, Kamwana hails from Kadyalunda village under Traditional Authority (T/A) Sawali in Balaka District, while Mwale comes from Kaipa village under T/A Msanama in Machinga District. The other three suspects—Moyo, Richard and Mzenda—are from Mkali village under T/A Mponda in Mangochi District.
The arrests come amid growing concerns over reported irregularities in the implementation of the Affordable Inputs Programme, which was introduced to ease farmers’ access to subsidized farm inputs. Police have since warned the public and officials involved in the programme against engaging in corrupt practices, saying stern action will be taken against offenders.
