Malawi School of Government (MSG), which should exude excellence in public service management, is rocked in a recruitment mess that raises legal and ethical questions.
The situation has arisen after the MSG Council appointed its serving chairperson Professor Lewis Dzimbiri as its director general (DG).
Dzimbiri has replaced Professor Asiyati Chiweza who was on secondment to MSG in 2023 from the University of Malawi (Unima) and has since returned to her parent institution.
The Nation has established that the MSG Council did not conduct interviews in the recruitment of Dzimbiri, an anomaly pundits argue erodes institutional integrity and undermines public confidence in the MSG as a standard-setting institution.
In a memorandum announcing the appointment, MSG Council vice-chairperson Professor Samson Sajidu said the council was confident in Dzimbiri’s leadership.
Reads the communication: “The council is confident that Professor Dzimbiri’s visionary leadership, extensive experience and commitment to excellence will greatly advance the continued growth and transformation of MSG.”
In a brief interview yesterday, Chiweza said she had no fixed contract at MSG, but refused to take questions on her departure from the institution. She referred all queries to the council or Comptroller of Statutory Corporations.
“As to why I am out of MSG and how someone has been appointed, I cannot talk on that. Talk to Professor Sajidu or the Comptroller of Statutory Corporations,” she said.
George Chaima, an expert in government and public planning, said in an interview yesterday that the appointment contravenes regulatory and governance policy Acts, including on conflict of interest.
He said: “It is only in Malawi where authorities choose power over policy and matters of the law. That is why our laws are weak and mostly just exist on paper but little in practice.
“Withdraw the appointment and give room to set rules to operate. His appointment contributes significantly to loss of public trust and it is a serious cause for worry.”
In a separate interview, Centre for Social Transparency and Accountability executive director Willy Kambwandira said the decision also raises accountability concerns, especially for an institution mandated to champion corporate governance excellence.
He said: “It risks undermining the credibility of MSG as an institution that trains public sector leaders on governance standards, and sets a troubling precedent for public institutions in the country.
“Even if procedurally permissible, such a move weakens public trust and signals poor adherence to principles of institutional checks and balances. The Public Appointments Committee of Parliament should look into this.”
Private practice lawyer Benedicto Kondowe said appointing a sitting chairperson, without a demonstrably fair and competitive process, raises a serious conflict under Section 15(3) of the MSG Act.
He said: “It creates a clear risk of self-dealing, erodes institutional integrity and undermines public confidence in the MSG as a standard-setting institution. It also reflects a failure of accountability, independence and ethical leadership.
“The absence of a transparent and competitive process weakens meritocracy, exposes the council to allegations of predetermination and sets a poor precedent for other public bodies,” he said.
Kondowe said if the council does not rescind the appointment, the matter is amenable to judicial review on grounds of illegality, bias and procedural impropriety.
In a separate interview, political analyst Joseph Chunga described the decision as “disturbing, a sham and travesty of governance”.
He observed that the situation has now been normalised with recent developments where people are seconded, deseconded and replaced in top public sector jobs without interviews.
Said Chunga: “If you just bring in political appointees without following any procedure, they think they owe their allegiance to the appointing authority, they have no allegiance and accountability to the nation.
“We can’t accept this as normal. I am looking forward to someone challenging this in court, so that at least there is an opportunity to put the record straight that this can’t be regarded as normal.”
Council, Dzimbiri choose silence
When contacted yesterday, Dzimbiri confirmed the appointment, but said Sajidu, who is Unima Vice-Chancellor, was better-placed to comment.
But Dzimbiri clarified that he did not appoint himself to that position.
He said: “Secondment is always when there is no one to fill a particular position. So, when they want to fill the position, then the person who was seconded goes back to where they were, and that is what has happened.
“However, I may not be the best authority to convince you that I know the process very well, because if I explain it, people will say I am trying to justify my appointment, so talk to Professor Sajidu.”
Comptroller of Statutory Corporations Stuart Ligomeka did not pick our calls on several attempts while Sajidu said it was difficult for him to comment on the matter.
“I know where you are going. It will be difficult for me to comment on this matter,” he said briefly.
Besides having served as chairperson of the MSG Council, Dzimbiri has previously served as Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (Luanar) as well as Vice-Principal, Dean of Faculty and Head of Department at Unima.
MSG was established in 2022 as a centre of excellence for public and private sector capacity development focusing on training, research, consultancy and advisory services to improve service delivery. Its core objectives include enhancing public sector performance, fostering mindset change and developing human capital.
