Malawi launches cash aid for virus-hit households

The president of Malawi, Peter Mutharika, has announced an emergency financial aid programme for citizens who are badly affected by the coronavirus outbreak in the country. 

Starting in May, Eligible households will be given a monthly payment of 35,000 Malawian Kwacha ($47) via mobile cash transfer. It has not been clarified how long the programme will run for.

The announcement came after the country’s High Court extended an order prohibiting the government from imposing a three-week lockdown.

On Thursday, President Mutharika said the cash transfer programme would target just under one million people and small businesses affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

Human rights groups had complained that there was no safety net in place for Malawi’s poorest citizens, whose livelihoods will be dramatically affected by the virus.

Malawi has a population of about 18 million, 25% of whom live in extreme poverty. 

It has so far confirmed 36 cases of the coronavirus, including three deaths.

The country is due to hold a repeat presidential election in May, after last year’s vote was annulled by the constitutional court in February. The court cited widespread voting irregularities including the use of Tippex corrective fluid on ballot papers. President Mutharika is appealing against the ruling. 

Photo: AFP