Nairobi, Kenya
Malawi’s pastors, priests, imams, and other religious leaders are carrying out a nationwide campaign to fight corruption in a country where corruption is endemic.
For decades, the landlocked country in south-eastern Africa has been characterised by rampant corruption. The nation of nearly 20 million people experiences various types of corruption, from politicians looting public funds to petty bribery that impedes its development plan and service delivery to its citizens.
Lazarus Chakwera, president of the Republic of Malawi (right) meets some Members of the Episcopal Conference of Malawi. PICTURE: Episcopal Conference of Malawi Communications
In 2021, the corruption watchdog Transparency International ranked the country 110th out of 180 countries in public sector corruption, scoring 35 out of 100 points on the global Corruption Perceptions Index.
“We are tired of the corruption in this country. It’s making us poor and benefiting a few individuals who work in government offices,” said Sara Nthara, a mother of three who owns a grocery shop in the country’s capital, Lilongwe. “There are no medicines in our hospitals, and no developments are happening because politicians have eaten our money.”
Such sentiments have prompted religious leaders to act.
The Catholic Church, which has 17.2 per cent of the total population, has taken the lead in fighting against corruption, accusing the government of laxity and unwillingness to end the vice. In the recent letter, written by local bishops, the church criticised the administration of President Lazarus Chakwera for failing to fight corruption and misusing public funds.
“Vast numbers of men, women and children are today, like Lazarus in the Gospel (Luke 16, 19-31), languishing in abject poverty while wealth and luxury are enjoyed by a few who are unconcerned about these dehumanising conditions of the majority,” reads the bishops’ letter dated 6th March.
“As Catholic Bishops, we are deeply shocked and dismayed by the revelations concerning the plunder of public resources by corrupt politicians and civil servants. We are now more than convinced that this country has enough resources which, if put to good use, could propel it to meaningful development for all.”
The letter urged the priests and other religious leaders to preach and instill good morals as taught in the Holy Books to congregants to change their behaviours and reject corruption.
In various parishes and religious workshops across the country, priests and catechists are urging worshippers to reject corruption while emphasising that the vice was at the heart of the country’s problems and that it was time for action.
“As a church, we must ensure that citizens have ethical and moral values that don’t allow them to engage in corruption,” catechist Joseph Mandala told Sight in an interview on the phone from Lilongwe. “We will reach out to everyone across the country and change their hearts. We will tell people that corruption and misuse of public funds are sins, and anyone who engages in the vice is a sinner.”
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Pastor Thomas Sabuli, of the Victory Pentecostal Church in Lilongwe, said they were educating their congregants, the public, and government employees on the effects of corruption to help fight it. He said the church had resolved to pressure the judiciary to expedite graft cases.
“We will not allow a few people working in government offices to bring our country down through corruption,” said Sabuli, appealing to President Chakwera to apprehend those involved in corruption. “We will hold demonstrations to force a few corrupt individuals out of office to pave the way for investigations and prosecutions.”
However, Nthara said that for corruption to be solved entirely in the country, it was important for the current government to be dissolved and new leaders elected.
“We have lost trust in this government because nobody is being taken to court for corruption,” she said. “We need to remove all these leaders from power and try others because everyone seems corrupt.”
