Malawi: Committee Orders New MRA Submission and Requests Tambulasi's Attendance

What the report says

Malawi’s Parliamentary Committee on Health has ordered the Malawi Revenue Authority to submit a fuller report and return for another hearing with Commissioner General Felix Tambulasi present, after lawmakers said the agency did not take its inquiry seriously. The session, held in Parliament in Lilongwe on Tuesday, was part of an investigation into drug theft and the movement of falsified medicines through the country’s borders.

Committee chair Anthony Masamba said MPs were frustrated that Tambulasi did not appear and instead sent a delegation led by MRA Director of Finance Mufulo Chikaoneka. He also criticized the material presented to the committee, saying it was too limited for an issue tied to medicine shortages and border controls. As a result, the committee directed the MRA team to leave and come back with more detailed information.

According to the report carried by Nyasa Times and distributed by AllAfrica, Chikaoneka told lawmakers that Tambulasi was outside the country on official duties. He accepted the committee’s ruling and said the authority would be better prepared when it returns. The committee is continuing its broader probe and was expected to meet officials from the Anti-Corruption Bureau later the same day. The episode underscores growing public concern in Malawi over drug shortages and the security of the pharmaceutical supply chain.