National Organisation of Nurses and Midwives of Malawi (Nonm) and Association of Malawian Midwives (Amami) have asked government to review the recruitment process for Nurses and Midwives Council of Malawi (NMCM) management.
In a joint statement dated May 18 2026 addressed to the Comptroller of Statutory Corporations, Nonm executive director Chifundo Colleta and Amami president Keith Mumudelanji Lipato said government should reopen or strengthen the selection process for registrar and chief executive officer (CEO) to allow broader and competitive consideration of additional highly qualified candidates.
The two organisations said government should engage key professional stakeholders, including Nonm and Amami in the recruitment to identify senior professionals for consideration apart from shortlisting at least three additional candidates with regulatory and executive leadership experience for comparative assessment.
Reads in part the statement: “Our concern is not directed at the individual personality or professional dignity of the appointed candidate. We recognise and respect the professional contributions made by the candidate within clinical nursing service and leadership.
“Rather, our concern relates to the alignment between the magnitude and complexity of the NMCM mandate and the level of demonstrated executive and regulatory leadership experience required for such a strategically sensitive office.”
The statement said the registrar and CEO should be one conversant with a number of disciplines, namely regulatory and statutory governance, professional licensure and accreditation systems, national policy and institutional reform leadership, executive management of complex public institutions, strategic stakeholder engagement at national and international level, legal and disciplinary regulatory processes and health systems leadership, among others.
“It is, therefore, within our professional and ethical responsibility to advocate for strong, credible, visionary, and technically competent leadership for the council. Following reflection on the credentials presented in relation to the prospective role under review, Nonm and Amami respectfully observe that there appears to be limited demonstrable exposure and executive experience in several critical areas,” they added.
Comptroller of Statutory Corporations Stuart Ligomeka was yet to respond to our questionnaire by press time yesterday.
Last week, Youth and Society asked the Office of the President and Cabinet to immediately halt politically-motivated appointments in public institutions, citing meritless hiring that burdens taxpayers.
YAS warned that patronage is eroding institutional integrity and bankrupting agencies that are being forced to pay two salaries for a single position.
