The NGO Regulatory Authority (Ngora) has deregistered the Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC), citing failure to submit audited financial statements and annual returns for three consecutive years.
But HRDC yesterday said it would challenge the decision in court.
In an interview last evening, Ngora spokesperson Laston Chinkudzu confirmed the deregistration.
He said: “[This] means that it can no longer operate as an NGO. Consequently, it cannot continue undertaking activities in that capacity, including mobilising or receiving donor funding as a registered NGO for public benefit purposes.
“A total of 36 NGOs have been deregistered for non-compliance with statutory requirements under the Non-Governmental Organizations Act (Cap. 5:05) and Non-Governmental Amendment Act of 2022.”
The cancellation, effective yesterday, November 3 2026, comes as HRDC prepares to stage nationwide demonstrations on November 17, demanding the resignation of Energy Minister Jean Mathanga over persistent fuel shortages and electricity blackouts.
In a determination signed by chief executive officer Voice Mhone and dated November 2 2026, Ngora said HRDC had failed to submit audited accounts and annual returns for 2023, 2024 and 2025, as well as notify the regulator of changes to its board and governance structure.
The authority said each failure independently constituted grounds for deregistration under Section 23(1)(b) of the NGO Act.
But HRDC chairperson Michael Kaiyatsa said the coalition would challenge the decision, insisting that cancellation of its NGO registration would not stop it from operating as a civil society organisation (CSO).
“We should not mix issues. HRDC will continue as a civil society organisation to represent Malawians, including exercising its freedom of association and assembly. What has been deregistered is the NGO,” he said in an interview yesterday.
Kaiyatsa described the decision as not surprising, saying the coalition had anticipated attempts to frustrate its work.
“We saw it coming as there have been several efforts to frustrate our efforts. But we are consulting our lawyers,” he said.
Kaiyatsa added that the November 17 demonstrations will proceed as planned.
In its determination, Ngora said HRDC had failed to submit the required documents despite being granted an extension to July 31 2026.
The regulator also rejected HRDC’s explanation that it had no funding in 2024 and that its activities and finances were reported through the Centre for the Development of People (Cedep).
Ngora said Cedep’s returns covered only its own finances and that organisations without funding were still required to submit financial statements indicating that position.
It also dismissed HRDC’s claim that technical problems prevented it from updating its board information, saying the coalition did not formally reported any such difficulties to the authority.
University of Malawi political scientist Boniface Dulani said the law should take its course if HRDC had failed to meet its statutory obligations, but regretted the loss of an organisation he described as significant to Malawi’s civic and political landscape.
“If indeed HRDC did not comply, then the law must take its course and you cannot fault Ngora,” he said.
Dulani warned, however, that the decision could fuel perceptions that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration was targeting HRDC in retaliation for its role in the 2019 protests, which challenged the party’s electoral victory.
National Advocacy Platform chairperson Benedicto Kondowe said cancellation of HRDC’s NGO registration did not automatically extinguish its separate legal personality under the Trustees Incorporation Act or Companies Act.
HRDC rose to national prominence after the May 21 2019 Tripartite Elections, when the Malawi Electoral Commission declared DPP presidential candidate Peter Mutharika the winner.
The coalition organised nationwide protests demanding the resignation of then Malawi Electoral Commission chairperson Justice Jane Ansah over alleged electoral irregularities. Ansah is now Malawi’s First Vice President after winning alongside President Peter Mutharika last year.
