Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) is reeling under internal pressure over its relocation to Blantyre and other issues with the electoral body’s staff union demanding a meeting with a full commission within seven days.
The union’s concerns include relocation of MEC headquarters from Lilongwe to Blantyre as per President Peter Mutharika’s October 2025 Executive order, uncertainty of the lease for Chisankho House at City Centre in Lilongwe, the sealed Njewa warehouse, arrest of senior officials and strained relations between the commission and Capital Hill.
In a September 21 2026 letter to MEC chairperson Annabel Mtalimanja copied to all commissioners, the union said the chairperson’s September 8 response to the issues failed to adequately address employees’ concerns or provide clear commitments on outstanding matters.
Reads the communication: “Staff further noted the absence of clear commitments and practical measures to resolve the issues presented.”
In her September 8 2026 response, Mtalimanja, a judge of the High Court of Malawi, said MEC sought clarification on whether the President’s di rective amounted to unlawful interference with the commission’s constitutional independence.
She said MEC would continue operating from Lilongwe until the matter is resolved by the courts.
will be handled.
| Nation
The relocation dispute has also affected Chisankho House, where MEC remains despite the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development
communicating its decision not to renew the previous lease.
On the other hand, the Njewa warehouse sealing forced MEC to postpone by-elections slated for September 29 2026 in Mangochi East and Nsanje South as it could not access some electoral materials.
But the union’s demand for a meeting has faced resistance from commissioner Limbikani Kamlongera, who protested the manner the memorandum was delivered.
In a September 23 response addressed to MEC Staff Union president Edward Kalonga, vice-president Sylvester Luka and executive member Evance Afati, she described the manner in which the memorandum was served on her as a serious breach of protocol and personal security.
Luka said in an interview yesterday that the union had taken note of Kamlongera’s communication and remained committed to resolving the issues
through constructive dialogue, mutual respect and established institutional processes.
MEC director of media and public relations Sangwani Mwafulirwa said matters raised by employees or their representatives will be handled through the appropriate institutional channels.
The developments have raised concern among electoral stakeholders, with Centre for Multiparty Democracy executive director Boniface Chibwana saying the situation could affect confidence in MEC as it prepares for forthcoming by-elections and the 2030 general elections.
On his part, Civil Society Elections Integrity Platform cha i rper son Benedi c to Kondowe said staff demands for dialogue should be taken seriously before internal grievances begin to affect MEC’s constitutional mandate.
Gift Sambo, an expert in electoral and legislative politics at University of Malawi, called for the need to put in place legal and institutional mechanisms meant to insulate MEC from unnecessary interference from political actors.
Mutharika issued Executive order No. 1 of 2025 on October 10 2025, directing MEC, along with Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority and Malawi Housing Corporation to move their headquarters from Lilongwe back to Blantyre. Malawi Prisons Service was also ordered to return to Zomba.
MEC initially moved to Lilongwe in June 2023 to lower operational costs
