Convicted criminal Vital Kamerhe, the Deputy Prime Minister in charge of the economy, has taken 10 ministers on a trip to South Africa and Zambia in search of a solution to the maize shortage in the country.
Kamerhe’s decision to travel with a huge delegation has caused uproar in Kinshasa with the population arguing that the bloated entourage was another way of wasting public resources.
Kamerhe and some of his personnel left Kinshasa on Monday evening on a private jet paid by the public treasury for a trip to South Africa.
According to government sources, the 10 ministers are accompanying Kamerhe to negotiate the price of maize meal.
In 2021, Kamerhe was convicted of stealing public funds while serving as Chief of Staff to President Tshisekedi but was later acquitted on appeal.
The shortage of the maize meal has caused the prize of the commodity to skyrocket especially in Katanga where it is the staple food for the region.
Kamerhe’s efforts to resolve the issue has been described as wasteful and unnecessary.
“The coffers are bleeding. You take 9 ministers without counting their support staff. Definitely, they are bored in their offices in Kinshasa. What a waste,” one official in Kinshasa said.
