Simplex Chithyola Banda
The Malawi Government overspent by K500.664 billion, or half a trillion Kwacha, in the 2024-25 financial year, which comes to an end today.
Finance Minister Simplex Chithyola Banda made the revelation in Parliament on Friday, when he tabled Bill Number 14 of 2025, Supplementary Appropriation.
The development means the 2024-25 national budget has ballooned to K6.499 trillion from the K5.998 trillion that was approved in March last year.
The final expenditure is about K450 billion more than the K6.048 trillion approved at mid-year in October last year.
Chithyola Banda attributed the over-expenditure to pensions and gratuities, natural disasters and other statutory obligations.
He added that the current administration was transparent, saying that was why it took the figures to the august House so that legislators could debate on them.
Shadrick Namalomba
However, opposition Democratic Progressive Party spokesperson on finance, Shadric Namalomba, accused the current administration of being “wasteful and too extravagant”.
He said the Statutory Payments Vote had overspent by K151 billion, “which is quite too much”.
Namalomba added that the pensions vote overspent by K40 billion.
“The question is, we were here in this House; we allocated K42.5 billion for this year. Now the Minister of Finance has gone ahead to spend without even the knowledge of this House,” Namalomba said.
Other votes that overspent included that of the Malawi Defence Force, which overspent by K33.7 billion; Ministry of Lands K35 billion, Ministry of Agriculture at K75 billion; Ministry of Water at K22.9 billion and the Malawi Electoral Commission at K66.3 billion.
United Democratic Front Leader in the House, Ned Poya, said the party was concerned with the over expenditure.
“Overspending by half a trillion is unprecedented. I am looking at the people of Zomba Ntonya, who are going to bed hungry; the people of Zomba Ntonya, who have not accessed fertiliser.
Ned Poya
“To overspend by half a trillion, this makes me feel sorry for this country. The people who we have entrusted to keep the pulse must explain how we have arrived at this. What have we done to overspend like this?” Poya said.
Leader of the House Richard Chimwendo Banda described the Supplementary Appropriation Bill as a summary of expenditure, of which half of it was already done at mid-year.
“When members of Parliament sta
