The outgoing Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) chairperson Justice Dr. Chifundo Kachale has done a good job during the four years he steered the country’s electoral body.
Taking over from Justice Dr Jane Ansah who presided over the controversial May 2019 Tripartite Elections, Kachale’s job was well cut out for him from the word go. The gargantuan task before him was first and foremost to bring sanity and confidence among the stakeholders in the pollster body just after the Constitutional Court had nullified the 2019 Presidential Elections and ordered a fresh poll. His deliverables were to produce free and fair elections. Kachale was therefore brought into the fray when emotions were high among all stakeholders.
His immediate task was to prove to all and sundry that he had the clout and capability to steer the reconstituted MEC to the professional body that it was supposed to be and manage the electoral process as professionally as it was possible. With little time to the fresh presidential elections, the High Court judge had to hit the ground running.
And so as he left MEC early this month, I can vouch for the diligence and professionalism he invested in the task during the four years he headed MEC. His tenure was characterized not only by transparency and accountability but also commendable responsiveness to issues.
After successfully managing the fresh presidential elections in July 2020, MEC embarked on another huge and daunting project of constituency and ward re-demarcations. That project was also a success. And as he left MEC all preparations for the September 16 2025 elections were going according to plan with all electoral calendar of events well on course.
One other area that has greatly contributed to MEC’s splendid performance is the organisation’s open door policy to the media. MEC’s management under Kachale created an operating environment which enabled its media department and all other sections to make all its operations and activities available for scrutiny by the public.
If I were the appointing authority, I would not have hesitated to give Justice Kachale another four years at MEC considering how well he has performed during the time he has been at the helm of the organization. But I guess the only reason President Lazarus Chakwera has not renewed Justice Kachale’s contract is because he was appointed by former president Peter Mutharika.
That the appointing authority did not renew his contract does not in any way mean they were unsatisfied with his performance or that they had a better person to replace him at MEC. Rather, this is how it is supposed to be. You do your part and move on. This is how appointed public positions work.
And like all good things, his time came to an end and he had to leave the scene. He returns to the bench to continue the splendid job he has been doing even as MEC chairperson.
It has therefore pleased the appointing authority to bring in another person to continue from where Justice Kachale left off. That person is Justice Annabel Mtalimanja.
Also joining MEC as commissioners are Dr. Limbikani Kamlongera and Reverend Philip Kambulire, replacing Dr Anthony John Mukumbwa and Olivia Mchaju Liwewe whose contracts also expired on June 6 2024. Congratulations are in order to all of them as well for a job well done.
For the new chairperson and commissioners to excel in their work, they will need the same support that the outgoing ones received from everybody. Managing elections is not the easiest of jobs because by design an election or by-election is supposed to produce both a winner and a loser. The latter is usually a wounded lion and can be a thorn in the flesh if not well handled. Hence the need for all electoral processes at all stages to be watertight and transparent.
