Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Kondwani Nankhumwa had a rude awakening on Monday in Mzuzu as vendors ignored a K7 million cheque from President Peter Mutharika meant to compensate 460 vendors affected by fire that gutted Mzuzu market recently.

The development comes barely months after Minister of Information and Civic Education Jappie Mhango was also chased away from a funeral in Rumphi by angry mourners.

According to the source who confided to FaceofMalawi, the whole saga started when Nankhumwa announced that the money would be shared among 222 vendors with each getting K31 000.

The development did not please the vendors who started leaving the place one by one while others could be heard shouting that the money was not enough.

The vendors left behind ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) women and youth who had accompanied the minister.

One of the vendors who opted for anonymity said the money was not enough meet the damages suffered during the inferno.

He said the government could have offered soft loans to the vendors and not the compensation.

Meanwhile Police are yet to establish the cause of the fire that gutted Mzuzu market for three times in a space of one year.