The Office of the First Vice-President yesterday failed to clarify whether First Vice-President Jane Ansah personally financed her recent private trip to the United Kingdom, despite President Peter Mutharika stating on Wednesday that his deputy had assured him the visit was funded using private resources.
Spokesperson for the Office of the First Vice-President, Richard Mveriwa, said the matter should be addressed by Minister of Information and Communications Technology, Shadric Namalomba, who initially issued the official statement regarding the travel budget.
However, when contacted, Namalomba said he needed to verify the information with the Treasury and the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) before responding. By press time, he had not provided feedback.
In a statement issued on December 24, 2025, Namalomba indicated that Ansah would travel with five officials at a cost of K168 million, dismissing social media claims that the trip involved 15 people costing K1.9 billion.
Efforts to obtain clarification from Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Decentralisation Joseph Mwanamvekha and Secretary to the Treasury Cliff Chiunda were unsuccessful as they were not immediately available for comment.
Meanwhile, Chief Secretary to the OPC Justin Saidi distanced his office from the issue, telling The Nation to seek answers from State House, stating: “I did not issue any statement.”
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