Three months after taking office, Malawi’s new government is facing allegations. The government of the DPP (Democratic Progressive Party) under President Peter Mutharikawho the Won elections in September 2025 is accused of abusing the law to target opposition members.
The reason is the arrest of Richard Chimwendo Bandageneral secretary of the main opposition MCP (Malawi Congress Party), in December. The MCP ruled Malawi with a president Lazarus Has Risen before their electoral defeat against the DPP. During the MCP government, Banda held various ministerial positions, including local government, culture and internal security. He was also the leader of the parliamentary group.
After his arrest on December 12, Banda was formally charged with kidnapping and attempted murder. The allegations go back to an incident with his former party colleague Frank Chawanda in 2022 – Chawanda was expelled from the MCP board at the time and publicly accused Banda of a murder plot. Banda was provisionally released in mid-January, but the case against him is still pending.
Last week, police arrested MCP campaign leaders Moses Kunkuyu firm, another former government member. The accusation against the former Minister of Information and Digitalization: incitement to violence during the funeral of the former Deputy Speaker of Parliament Madaitso Kazombo.
Five high-ranking politicians in custody
This means that five high-ranking MCP politicians have been taken into custody since December. The remaining three are former Interior Minister Ezekiel Ching’oma, former Trade and Industry Minister Vitumbiko Mumba and MCP public relations worker Jessie Kabwila.
Ching’oma faces allegations of kidnapping. Mumba and Kabwila are accused of speaking at a press conference where the MCP accused the Electoral Commission of fraud after its defeat in the elections.
Human rights activists also suffer in the crossfire between the government and the opposition. A Facebook protest against the long detention of former minister Banda was Elija Mike Banda’s undoing last week. His warning that delaying the legal process could cause frustration and unrest among the public was declared “incitement” by the authorities.
The MCP is outraged. “These actions are deeply concerning and raise serious questions about the state of freedom of expression in Malawi,” the party said. The DPP government should fight poverty instead of arresting people, she added.
Telephone diplomacy at the highest level
On Monday last week, President Mutharika and former President Chakwera spoke on the phone at Chakwera’s initiative. He brought up the “political arrests.” According to the presidential office, Mutharika reminded his predecessor that during his 2020-25 term in office, numerous legal proceedings were initiated against well-known figures for suspected political reasons, without any guilty verdicts. According to his spokeswoman Cathy Maulidi, “high-ranking DPP members and other officials” also fell victim to this “pattern”.
The incumbent government adheres “strictly” to the law, it said. “The President is unwavering in his determination to enable law enforcement officers to carry out their duties without interference,” said Maulidi. “The era of political arrests is over.”