By Burnett Munthali
Alex Chambukira is the face of corruption and impunity in Malawi’s public sector.
He forged a University of Malawi (UNIMA) Procurement and Logistics degree to secure a lucrative job at the National Economic Empowerment Fund (NEEF) under the corrupt Chakwera administration.
He cannot name a single classmate from Malawi Polytechnic (now Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences, MUBAS), yet he freely operates as a procurement officer.
Qualified and competent professionals remain unemployed simply because they lack political connections.
This fraud is even more shocking when one considers that Malawi Polytechnic only introduced a Procurement and Logistics degree in 2021.
The first cohort of students is set to graduate this year, making Chambukira’s claim that he obtained his degree in 2017 a blatant lie.
His case exposes the deep rot within Malawi’s public sector, where political affiliation trumps merit and qualifications.
Despite undeniable proof of forgery, Malawi’s law enforcement agencies have remained silent.
The police, the Ombudsman, the Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Authority (PPDA), and so-called competence watchdogs have all chosen to ignore the scandal.
This is not just negligence—it is a deliberate move to protect fraudsters connected to the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) system.
While Chambukira enjoys immunity from scrutiny, Malawi’s justice system has shown a different face to others.
Malawi Police recently arrested Alfred Gangata, a self-made businessman who has never used academic papers to secure a job in government or the private sector.
His alleged crime? Possessing an MSCE certificate that played no role in his rise to success.
Gangata’s case highlights the hypocrisy of Malawi’s law enforcement, where selective justice is the norm.
If you forge a university degree to steal government opportunities, you get a free pass—as long as you are connected to MCP.
But if you build yourself up through hard work, they will find any excuse to bring you down.
This is not justice—it is a war against young Malawians who rise from nothing while fraudsters with fake degrees thrive under MCP protection.
This case is not just about Chambukira.
It is a reflection of the larger crisis in Malawi, where corruption, nepotism, and impunity have become institutionalized.
If institutions responsible for oversight continue to turn a blind eye, Malawi’s public sector will remain a breeding ground for fraud and mediocrity.
The silence of authorities is not just incompetence—it is complicity in the destruction of the nation’s future.
The question now is: How long will Malawians tolerate this grand theft of their opportunities and resources?
