There has been public outrage in Malawi as Ansah came under fire and intense backlash following allegations that she is travelling to the United Kingdom with a large, taxpayer-funded entourage.
The Malawian government has denied allegations that Vice President Jane Mayemu Ansah is set to spend $1.3 million of public funds to attend her husband’s lavish 80th birthday celebration in the United Kingdom.
In a press statement dated December 22, 2025, and posted on Tuesday, the Office of the Vice President described documents circulating on social media and purporting to show the budget for the Vice President’s trip to the UK as “fake and misleading.”
There has been public outrage in Malawi as Ansah came under fire and intense backlash following allegations that she is travelling to the United Kingdom with a large, taxpayer-funded entourage.
The trip, estimated to cost K2.3 billion (about $1.3 million), became public knowledge on Monday morning and sparked widespread outrage on social media and among civil society groups, with critics questioning the justification for deploying state resources for what appears to be a private family event.
This is at a time when the government is urging citizens to endure austerity and cutbacks.
An official document dated December 11 from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the Malawi Mission in London showed that Ansah is scheduled to be in Nottingham from December 26 to January 10.
Sources familiar with the matter describe the visit as private, according to Malawian local media, Nyasa Times.
However, according to the statement from the Vice President's Office, signed by its Communications and Public Relations Officer, Richard Mveriwa, the documents did not originate from any government institution and do not reflect official records or approved government expenditures.
“The Office of the Vice President would like to inform the general public that the documents currently circulating on social media purporting to show the budget for Her Honour, Dr Jane Mayemu Ansah SC JA (Retired), the Vice President’s official trip to the United Kingdom are fake and misleading,” the statement said.
The Office further stressed that no such budget was authorised and urged members of the public to exercise caution when engaging with unverified information.
“The Office wishes to categorically state that these documents did not originate from any Government institution and do not reflect official records or approved Government expenditures,” it added.
The statement advised the public to rely solely on information released through official government communication channels, noting that the circulation of false information undermines public trust.
Reaffirming its position, the Office said it remains committed to transparency and accountability in the management of public resources, while condemning what it described as the “deliberate spread of false information”.