Capital Developments Limited has evicted Ma lawi E l ec to ra l Commission (MEC) from its Chisankho House in Lilongwe after the Ministry of Lands could not renew the lease on its behalf.
A letter from property owners Capital Developments Limited to MEC Chief Elections Officer Andrew Mpesi dated May 21 2026, that Weekend Nation has seen, indicates that the electoral body has been evicted after it failed to renew its contract to continue occupying the premises.
According to the letter, signed by the General Manager for its subsidiary Mpico Plc, Stella Sokosa, the property owner, wrote MEC on April 27 2026 following non-renewal of tenancy for Capital Development Limited premises being rented for MEC by the Ministry of Lands.
It reads: “We regret to advise that the offer validity period of 14 days expired on 10th May 2026. We further put it on record that we did not receive a response to our letter and the follow ups that we made to your office.
“In view of the above, you are requested to vacate the premises with immediate effect as there is no agreement and we expect to have the premises in vacant possession by 21st May 2026.”
Sokosa neither responded to our calls nor WhatsApp message yesterday for clarity on the matter. However, speaking from the parent company, Old Mutual, Phillip Dzikanyanga said the company will issue an statement on all queries about the matter
The Office of President and Cabinet (OPC) has said it also expects MEC to move immediately.
Already, Attorney General (AG) Frank Mbeta last week urged MEC to immediately relocate from Lilongwe to Blantyre in line with President Peter Mutharika’s October 2025 Executive order.
Based on that order, MEC was supposed to relocate to Blantyre alongside Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (Macra), and Malawi Housing Corporation (MHC), but has not due to legal battles which have all favoured the State.
Yesterday, MEC director of media and public relations Sangwani Mwafulirwa said he did not have any information about that letter.
“Regarding the presidential order to move to Blantyre, the commission has not provided further details except the statement issued last time,” he said.
In that statement, MEC said it would maintain its operations in Lilongwe pending a conclusive determination of constitutional issues surrounding the relocation order.
But a source privy to the matter stated yesterday that Mpico’s decision has raised shivers among commissioners, as it explicitly states that the offer is no longer on the table.
“They have identified a new tenant who plans to access the property on 1 Jun 2026. Essentially, they came to enquire on MEC’s plans for exiting the premises at Development House in line with their notice of eviction.
“We indicated to them that, as such decisions fall within the remit of the Commission, the Commission will present its position on Monday, 25 May 2026,” said the source.
Principal Secretary for the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Development Amin Mussa, referred the matter to OPC, whose spokesperson Focus Maganga said they expect MEC to move immediately because lapsed.
Said Maganga yesterday: “Our expectations are very high that MEC should relocate because there is no issue there. There is office space for MEC in Blantyre and we don’t need to have any engagement.
“It is up to MEC to ensure that the Presidential Directive is respected. The President has the mandate, driven from the people throughout. So, yes, MEC is obliged to make sure that the Directive is followed.”
He said there will be no more time extension for MEC as the three months the President provided lapsed.
“MEC wasted a lot of time in court and things like that. MEC is way behind schedule. So, even the question of a timeframe at this point does not arise,” he added.
Last week, High Court of Malawi Civil Division Judge Kenyatta Nyirenda dismissed three applicants who sought to put aside implementation of the directive and commence judicial review of the decision.
Following Nyirenda’s ruling, AG Mbeta said the Executive Order to relocate remains in force and MEC has to move.
He said: “The court has refused to grant an injunction against MEC relocation. The Executive Order to relocate remains in force. And they should relocate immediately because they are out of time.”
In February this year, High Court Judge Simeon Mdeza also dismissed the electoral body’s application for judicial review on grounds that it was made outside the prescribed time, January 27 2026, when the order was made on October 10 2025.
Earlier, Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation executive director Michael Kaiyatsa said the prolonged uncertainty around MEC’s relocation creates unnecessary anxiety among electoral stakeholders and risks shifting attention away from its core constitutional mandate of preparing for and managing credible elections.
Governance pundit Undule Mwakasungula said the matter could better be resolved through a roundtable engagement.
MEC moved its head offices from Blantyre to Lilongwe in June 2023 while Malawi Prisons relocated its headquarters from Zomba in January 2024 followed by Macra in March 2024 alongside MHC.
The major relocation of all head offices for the ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) which were housed in Blantyre to Capital Hill in Lilongwe was initiated by former president Bingu wa Mutharika in 2006 to ease coordination and purportedly cut costs of travel of MDA officials to and from parent ministries in Lilongwe.
