Mzuzu City Mayor arrested for alleged defilement

Mzuzu City Council has expressed shock over the arrest of the city’s mayor and Luwinga Ward councillor Gift Desire Nyirenda yesterday for allegedly defiling his 14-year-old niece.

In an interview yesterday, Mzuzu City Council spokesperson MacDonald Gondwe said they were informed of the arrest and that the mayor was being kept at Mzuzu Police Station.

He said: “We went to check on him, he is in good health.”

Gondwe said he could not comment further on the mayor’s arrest and the alleged defilement case.

But Mzuzu Police Station spokesperson Paul Tembo said in a statement after the arrest that they arrested Nyirenda at Nkhorongo in Luwinga Township in the city where he resides with his family and the victim, who is a relation to his wife.

According to Tembo, the suspect was arrested after the girl reported the alleged defilement to Mzuzu Police Station on Friday, where she was later referred to Mzuzu Health Centre for examination.

According to Tembo, Nyirenda is expected to be taken to court soon.

This is not the first time a councillor from the city has been arrested for defilement.

In 2016, Chibanja Ward councillor Charles Mlogera was also arrested and convicted for defiling three under-aged girls in the city.

However, he fled to South Africa on the day of sentencing.

Nyirenda, who served as deputy mayor from 2019, was elected city father on a Malawi Congress Party ticket on December 17 2021 after he defeated the then mayor Brian Nyasulu.