Former Secondary School Headteacher Jailed for Embezzlement

A court in Chikwawa has sentenced a 49-year-old former headteacher for Hope Christian Private Secondary School for pocketing money meant for 2017 Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE) exams fees.

In court, the police prosecutor Martin Thulu, explained that the director of the said school had during that time went to UK for some business when the now convicted Harry Luwemba took advantage of the situation and stole cash amounting to K1,821,110 after duping school`s bursar.

“When the director (of the school) returned from UK, he became suspicious after visiting Maneb offices and discovered that some names of students from the school were not found on the list.

“There were also further anomalies on the number of subjects paid by individual students such that Luwemba  trimmed some of these subjects,” Thulu told the court.

After the story surfaced, Luwemba went missing for eight months in fear of being arrested. It was recently when police managed to handcuff him and charged him with theft by servant contrary to section 286 of the penal code.

The prosecutor prayed for a stiff punishment to be handed to him saying that he almost ruined the future of the students by stealing money for examination.

When passing the judgment, Second Magistrate Cedric Chidika of Makande Magistrate Court explained that the former headteacher really deserved a stiff punishment to act as a deter to other would be offenders.

He then ended the court session by slapping Luwemba to 7 years imprisonment with hard labour.

The convict hails from Mtopola village in the area of traditional authority Masache in Chikwawa.