The United Nations (UN) has warned that corruption, procurement scandals and political interference are derailing government’s effectiveness— challenges the Peter Mutharika administration said yesterday it will face head on.
In its Common Country Analysis (CCA) released this month, the UN warned that the situation is worsened by weak oversight and shrinking civic space that elevates risks for marginalised and rural communities.
According to the CCA, Malawi has governance deficits that are a binding constraint on resilience, service delivery and rights protection.
Meanwhile, Principal Secretary for Good Governance in the Office of President and Cabinet (OPC) Reinford Mwangonde said in a written response to a questionnaire yesterday that the UN’s concerns are valid and reinforce the need for accelerated reform, including sustained institutional strengthening.
The UN analysis said governance issues such as political interference, politicisation of institutions, perceived retributive politics and corruption have coincided with declining control-of-corruption scores and long-term erosion in government effectiveness.
“The combined effect is predictable: weaker enforcement of laws, lack of collaborative leadership, uneven public service delivery and elevated risk of rights violations—especially for women, rural communities and other marginalised groups.
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“The fiscal picture—declining decentralisation transfers, underfunded over s ight and donor-driven development budgets—means the State lacks both the resources and the institutional credibility to manage these risks effectively,” it lamented.
It added that budgetary and institutional gaps have direct and measurable human-rights impacts while procurement failures have produced repeated scandals and legal cases that amplify public outrage and reduce confidence in reform commitments.
“Long queues for basic services, frequent medicine stock-outs and high-profile procurement scandals are converging into a persistent erosion of State effectiveness and accountability that disproportionately harms urban informal settlers, rural users, small and medium enterprises and women seeking justice.
“Underfunded justice and oversight systems limit access to legal remedies; weak local budgets and capacity mean frontline service delivery [health, education, water, and social protection] is inconsistent, increasing exclusion— particularly for rural populations who rely on local councils,” it stated.
The analysis also said competing claims over control of development resources such as Constituency Development Fund (CDF) entrench clientelism and risk creating an environment where public resources are exchanged for political loyalty.
It warned: “Governance weaknesses raise macro and political risks that threaten Malawi 2063 and SDG [Sustainable Development Goals] progress. Fiscal pressures and weak budget execution further constrain the State’s ability to protect essential services and invest in oversight.
“Economically, investor confidence is eroded by weak rule of law and corruption, reducing FDI [foreign direct investments] and private-sector job creation.”
But Mwangonde said key accountability institutions, including the Anti-Corruption Bureau, Financial Intelligence Authority (FIA), Director of Public Prosecutions and Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Authority are being supported to operate more effectively.
Said Mwangonde : “Government is strengthening public finance management systems, including tighter controls through the Integrated Financial Management Information Systems, improved audit processes and enhanced monitoring of procurement and
expenditure at both central and local government levels. “The administration is advancing digital transparency initiatives, including systems to improve visibility of public spending and service delivery, which will help reduce opportunities for abuse.”
He said while Malawi has implemented a number of reforms over the years, the persistence of these issues reflects a gap between policy design and implementation.
Said Mwangonde: “It is also important to recognise that governance deficits are cumulative. Remember, we took over a government that arrested the former director general of the Anti- Corruption Bureau. That did not inspire trust and confidence in the fight against corruption and hence these results.
“Weak systems, if not addressed consistently over time, create patterns that are difficult to reverse quickly. Changing this trajectory requires strengthening institutions, reinforcing accountability mechanisms and sustaining leadership commitment.
“The current administration is moving beyond intent to action. The Good Governance Unit at [OPC] is already supporting anti-corruption reforms, tightening oversight and ensuring that governance measures deliver real, measurable results.”
Why continued failures?
Meanwhile, National Advocacy Platform (NAP) chairperson Benedicto Kondowe said while the country has initiated reforms on these issues, such changes have largely been formal, not functional.
“Laws and policies are adopted, but enforcement is selective, institutions are politically exposed and sanctions are inconsistent or delayed. This creates a cycle where compliance is optional for the powerful,” he said.
On his part, Mzuzu University historian and politics for development expert Chrispin Mphande said Malawi always waits for a new government to prosecute those who committed financial crimes in the previous regimes.
“Unless we remove political shielding, corruption in Malawi has come to stay,” he said.
What now?
For Kondowe, procurement systems must be tightened through full e-procurement, open contracting and disclosure of beneficial ownership, backed by real-time audit triggers for high-value transactions.
Meanwhile, the UN has urged Malawi to protect essential supply chains, strengthen civic space engagement, procurement transparency and oversight, safeguard social spending, expand community grievances and early-warning systems.
