The Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) has said it is monitoring the management of the K38.9 billion Covid-19 Social Cash Transfer Program that the government is implementing, as ACB Director-General, Reyneck Matemba, said there is potential for abuse of resources.

Matemba outlined that the bureau saw loopholes as the initial identification of the beneficiaries and we noted that some of them were ghost beneficiaries. He emphasized on the involvement of the ACB in the matter will be unmoved. At first, we thought that since we were not included in the issue of Covid-19, we should not be concerned about what happens there, but we changed our mind and said we need to come in,” Matemba said.

As a means to ease households upkeep amidst the coronavirus pandemic, the government announced plans to assist vulnerable households in cities with funds amounting to K35,000 per household. The resolve was announced last April, by President Peter Mutharika.