By Rick Dzida
The Medical Council of Malawi has shown us that no one is above the law. By punishing 13 corrupt and negligent health practitioners, they proved that rules are made to be enforced, not ignored. These lawbreakers faced heavy fines, suspensions, and mandatory training.
But while the medical field cleans up its house, absolute rot and lawlessness are eating away at the rest of Malawi! Why are our political masters, judges, and security chiefs walking free when they break our laws and steal our public funds every single day?
Look at the specific, high-stakes violations happening right under our noses while regulatory bodies sit on their hands and shield offenders from discipline.
In a shocking display of institutional shielding, the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions dropped major financial crime cases against ten powerful individuals on 27 February 2026. This included former Reserve Bank of Malawi Governor Dalitso Kabambe and former Finance Minister Joseph Mwanamvekha. Dropping these massive financial cases leaves zero professional accountability for those managing the nation’s wealth.
A staggering MK128.75 billion was spent to buy the Amaryllis Hotel in Blantyre—nearly three times its actual valuation of MK47 billion. This blatant disregard for procurement ethics has caused MK80 billion of pensioner savings to vanish. Despite massive public outrage, the Anti-Corruption Bureau and political structures have failed to hand down disciplinary actions against the decision-makers.
Public trust in the courts shattered when lawyer Alexious Kamangira exposed deep-rooted judicial misconduct on social media. The Judicial Service Commission launched a probe into prominent High Court Judge Ken Manda for corruption and judge shopping syndicates.
Yet, months later, the system drags its feet with no definitive disciplinary ousters, leaving compromised figures presiding over the law.
On 4 February 2026, Police arrested former Secretary to the President and Cabinet Colleen Zamba alongside former Ministers Sam Kawale and Sosten Gwengwe over a MK200 billion fertilizer supply scandal with East Bridge.
While criminal processing crawls through the system, parliamentarians and high-ranking figures tied to this massive procurement failure face no immediate administrative or ethical debarment.
In a horrific breach of professional security ethics, court documents in July 2026 revealed that a wildlife trafficking convict, Lin, tried to bribe the Officer-in-Charge of Maula Prison, Aaron Ganyavu Kaunda, with MK30 million and a private house.
The bribe aimed to compromise a magistrate for a lighter sentence. This exposes a terrifying reality where security professionals negotiate with elite criminals instead of enforcing the law.
The single greatest weapon protecting these corrupt elites is Section 99 of the Constitution of Malawi, which gives the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) absolute power to drop cases (nolle prosequi). This power has become a toxic shield for criminals. We therefore demand immediate legislative warfare to strip the DPP of this unchecked power.
The National Assembly must strip the DPP of the unilateral power to terminate high-level corruption or public procurement cases.
The DPP must be legally forced to obtain written permission and present verifiable evidence to a panel of High Court judges before any grand corruption case can be dropped.
The law must change to require the DPP to publish a detailed public justification within 48 hours of dropping any case involving public funds over MK50 million.
The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) must be given independent prosecuting powers that cannot be overridden, vetoed, or blocked by the DPP’s office.
In conclusion, why should a doctor lose their livelihood for negligence while a government minister can misallocate billions, a prison boss can handle dirty bribes, or a judge can manipulate court outcomes and keep their job?
We ultimately demand immediate, aggressive action. Every single professional body in Malawi—from the Law Society to Civil Service commissions—must copy the Medical Council of Malawi. Investigate the corrupt! Name them! Shrewdly strip them of their licences, extend their punishments, and dump them into a jail cell! Malawi is bleeding because of your silence. Clean up your ranks now, or the anger of the citizens will boil over!
