Office of the Registrar of Political Parties principal planning officer Eden Mzumara has advised candidates in Uliwa Ward in Karonga South Constituency to avoid handouts ahead of the June 30 2026 by-elections.
He expressed the sentiments on Wednesday at Hangalawe Teacher Development Centre in Uliwa during a sensitisation meeting with political party representatives, candidates, church and traditional leaders ahead of the elections.
“We came to raise awareness on evils of handouts. Candidates and party leaders should be cautious because handouts are against the law,” said Mzumara.
An independent candidate, Tamara Mhango, hailed the office for the awareness, saying it cleared grey areas which include penalties of handouts.
“Indeed handouts are evil as they deny deserving candidates an opportunity to win the elections,” she said.
On his part, People’s Party candidate Robert Koyi Kondowe said he takes the Political Parties Act which bans handouts seriously because at the end of the day, electorates are denied development opportunities when they vote for wrong candidates due to handouts.
“Handouts pressure candidates to borrow money or sell valuable property which makes them disappear from their jurisdiction once voted into power because they want to recover what was lost during campaign, thereby, depriving voters development,” he said.
Karonga district elections officer Elias Nyirenda described the meeting as a relief, saying his office is always burdened with handouts cases.
Five candidates have submitted nomination papers to contest in the by-election slated for June 30 2026 in the ward.
