FRAUDSTERS FIND THEIR WAY INTO AIP

By Emma Zawanda

Government has uncovered a syndicate of beneficiaries sharing identity numbers in the One Hundred and Sixty Billion Kwacha Affordable Input Programme. 

Minister of Agriculture Lobin Lowe made the revelation on Wednesday during a media briefing on the subsidy scheme.

According to Lowe, the anomaly was indentified after National Registration Bureau was tasked to scrutinize data collected under the program. 

The cleaning process, said Lowe, also identified improper capturing of farmers’ national ID numbers, registering of minors to increase opportunities.

The Minister said so far, the National Registration Bureau has managed to validate Ninety-Eight percent of the database for the Four point Two Million beneficiaries. 

He added that so far selling of inputs using electronic vouchers is in progress in eight districts including Zomba, Thyolo and Blantyre.