Richard Chimwendo Banda, the Minister of Local Government, Unity, and Culture, addressed the matter of District Commissioners nationwide seeking security personnel for their protection. During an interview on a prominent media platform in the country yesterday, Chimwendo acknowledged the concern raised by the District Commissioners regarding their safety. He affirmed that his Ministry recognizes the significance of this request and has consequently approved it.
“It is true, the plea was presented by the DCs in the meetings we have conducted in Blantyre, Mzuzu and here in Lilongwe, and there is nothing wrong with their request, hence we accepted. But as of now we have not yet concluded on the matter as it will need to be presented to our colleagues at Homeland Security Ministry. Therefore it is very premature to ignite debate of something which has not yet been presented to the line Ministry.
“Malawians have to know that District Commissioners are in-charge of issues concerning education, land, chieftaincy, health, agriculture, and markets in the district they work. For this reason I can only confirm that District Commissioners need security,” said Chimwendo.
Further, Chimwendo told the nation that the issue of paying for the service if approved is not applicable as he never said such a statement during the meeting in Lilongwe, adding that as Local Government, they have just accepted the request as put forward by DCs. However the Ministry is not responsible for providing the service, hence a need to write the responsible Ministry before commenting on its way forward.
