No political party has disclosed the source of funding for the September 16 General Election campaign, defying the Political Parties Act of 2018 and raising concerns about transparency, it has emerged.
Registrar of Political Parties Kizito Tenthani confirmed in an interview yesterday that despite the law compelling political parties and candidates to declare donations of above K1 million, his office is yet to receive a declaration since the 60-day official campaign period opened on July 14 2025.
“The law says that if they receive any donation, being mindful of the thresholds, they should declare to the registrar. No party has declared and the assumption is that they have not received any donations,” he said.
Tenthani also said that his office has formally requested financial reports on party conventions held in 2024 and is seeking clarity on whether parties received private funding for their campaign activities.
“Before we talk about sanctions, there must be evidence of donations or a failure to explain how activities are financed. The law prescribes penalties once such evidence or reasonable suspicion is established,” he said.
Disclosure of funding sources has been a contentious issue in Malawi.
Malawi Law Society (MLS) on July 20 and September 30 2021 wrote the registrar of political parties seeking information within 15 days on political party financiers ahead of the 2019 Tripartite Elections and the court-sanctioned June 2020 fresh presidential election. However, the registrar did not provide the information.
The inaction prompted MLS to seek a judicial review which the High Court of Malawi granted in May this year.
Section 27 (2) of the Political Parties Act compels political parties to declare to the registrar any donation with a monetary value of at least K1 000 000 from an individual donor.
Commenting on the issue of non-disclosure of funding sources, Malawi Congress Party (MCP) secretary general Richard Chimwendo Banda said his party receives contributions from its supporters on a daily basis and that it would be difficult to track them all.
“We get funding from our supporters across the country and they are many. We can’t easily count them. We are still computing the donations for the convention and the campaign underway,” he said.
People’s Party (PP) secretary general Ben Chakhame confirmed receiving a request from the registrar and pledged to submit returns within days.
However, in a separate interview, UTM Party secretary general Willet Kalonga stated the registrar was better placed to comment, saying: “I hope he is not double-faced.”
On the other hand, People’s Development Party (PDP) secretary general Simeon Phiri said his party was yet to get a formal request from the registrar and that the party was open to compliance.
United Democratic Front (UDF) secretary general Generano Lemani promised to respond, but did not by press time at 9pm while efforts to get a comment from Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) secretary general Peter Mukhito and spokesperson Shadric Namalomba were unsuccessful.
On their part, civil society organisations have said the silence from parties is unacceptable.
Civil Society Elections Integrity Forum chairperson Benedicto Kondowe described the non-disclosure as a “serious threat” to the country’s democracy.
“The failure by parties to disclose their campaign funds undermines transparency, promotes a culture of impunity and raises concerns about the influence of illicit financing, including money from foreign or corrupt sources,” he said.
Political analyst George Chaima shared Kondowe’s sentiments, noting that secrecy regarding political party finances is deeply entrenched.
“Our political parties operate under the wrap when it comes to finances. This reflects institutional incompetence and a lack of leadership accountability,” he said.
In May this year, Ministry of Justice hinted at addressing the lack of transparency in political party and campaign financing by proposing regulations for parties to disclose their sources of funding.
