The Board of the Roads Authority (RA) meets on Monday to discuss the fate of Chief Executive Officer Trevor Hiwa following revelations that he awarded a K217 million World Bank funded project to his own company called Infracon Limited.
RA’s Board Chairperson Jackson Gomani confirmed the development in a telephone interview on Thursday.
He said there will be an extraordinary board meeting whose agenda is to determine Hiwa’s fate after this newspaper revealed last week that he awarded the multi-million kwacha contract to a company which he owns.
“There will be a full extraordinary meeting on Monday in connection with what was in the paper. I cannot tell you the position of the Board as of now but after the meeting,” said Gomani when asked for the position of the Board.
Malawi News can also report that the matter has attracted the attention of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).
The bureau said this week that they had already received a complaint on the matter ahead of its publication in Malawi News.
“The Anti-Corruption Bureau had already received the complaint before the time it appeared in the paper. It is processing and will review the complaint to see if there is merit to warrant its action,” said ACB’s Senior Public Relations Officer Egrita Ndala on Thursday.
And in reaction to the story, Hiwa wrote Minister of Transport and Public Works Malison Ndau on Monday June 6 2016 informing him of the change of directorship at Infracon Limited, the company where he is a shareholder.
“With reference to the newspaper article, on the above named matter [Directorship at Infracon-Newspaper Article], find attached a special resolution replacing me as Director of the company as per the requirement of the law and my conditions of employment,” writes Hiwa in a memo with reference number RA/06/20/9.
Hiwa then explains his link to Infracon Limited.
“Sir, unfortunately I cannot undo my past as this was the company I was working for before the RA and their main area of business and experience is roads. This fact was fully disclosed to the interview panel as well as to the Board of Directors both old and current. They are a bonafide Malawian company and comply with all relevant laws of Malawi. Submitted for your information and direction,” he ends the letter.
The contract No RA/ CON/2015-16/09, which World Bank funded to the tune of US$303 823, was for the design and construction, and supervision services of various roads in Central Region and Southern regions following the floods that devastated the country in 2015.
This was under the Malawi Flood Emergency Recovery Project (MFERP).
We established that the company’s majority shareholder is Madada Trust of Box 40494, Kanengo, Lilongwe 4 with 99 percent shares.
We also revealed that Trevor Elias Hiwa also of Box 40494, Kanengo, Lilongwe 4 holds one percent stake in the company, Infracon.
We further established that directors of the company include Trevor Elias Hiwa whose occupation is engineer and whose residence is on plot number 6/25 Lilongwe, Box 40494, Lilongwe and Getrude Lynn Hiwa whose residence is also on plot number 6/25, Lilongwe and whose occupation is lawyer.
The company’s secretary and director is Chizaso Eric Nyirongo of plot number 47/5/320, and of Box 1107 Lilongwe.
Infracon was formerly called Romana Infrastructure Consultants and it changed to Infracon on February 1 2014.
Hiwa was appointed Chief Executive of the Roads Authority on July 1 2014.
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