8th MHRC cohort awaits announcement

 It is a matter of time before the eighth Malawi Human Rights Commission (MHRC) cohort is announced as behind the curtains the exercise is complete, officials have confirmed.

Reacting to a story published in the September 2 2023 edition of our sister newspaper Weekend Nation raising concern that MHRC was operating without commissioners for nearly seven months, the Law Commissioner and the Ombudsman said in a joint brief that President Lazarus Chakwera duly approved and appointed the commissioners on August 26 2023.

Without disclosing the names of the appointees, Law Commissioner Rosemary Kanyuka and Ombudsman Grace Malera said following the appointment by the President, the list was submitted to the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) for the Secretary to the President and Cabinet Colleen Zamba to serve the appointees with formal appointment letters.

“As required by the law, once the process is finalised by the OPC, the names of the persons appointed as Human Rights Commissioners shall be duly gazetted and a public notice on the same shall be issued,” said Kanyuka in a follow-up interview.

She said all due processes as required by the law were complied with and that the commissioners are expected to go through the formality swearing-in before proceeding with their tenure whose effective date is August 26 2023.

In accordance with the Constitution and the Human Rights Commission Act, the appointment of the commissioners comes after the Law Commissioner and the Ombudsman carried out a selection process and made recommendations to the President.

The commission has been operating without a full bench of commissioners since February 2023 when the former commissioners left office, a development some human rights advocates argued created a setback on some crucial human rights checks and investigations.

During the previous three-year tenure, the seventh MHRC cohort was chaired by disability rights activist Scader Louis while other members included Bertha Sefu, Baldwin Chiyamwaka, Stella Twea, Boniface Massah, Sunduzwayo Madise and Chikondi Chijozi.

MHRC, which is one of the country’s important governance institutions, comprises nine commissioners, seven appointed members with voting rights while the Law Commissioner and Ombudsman are ex-officio members.

The commissioners serve for three years and are eligible for reappointment for another term after the expiry of their mandate.

According to the Human Rights Commission Act, half of the former commissioners are supposed to be reappointed to ensure continuity in the commission.