Last week’s entry in this column talked about Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC)’s contradictions. We flagged the confusion, the mixed messaging, and the growing perception that the Commission was losing its grip on credibility ahead of elections.
This week, the column has been compelled to also speak about MEC following yesterday’s fiscal police visit at the MEC offices.
For an institution that is supposed to be the custodian of our democracy, the scenes of the past seven days are not normal. Within one week, two major incidents have landed at MEC’s door.
On 24th July 2026, officers from the Fiscal and Fraud Section of the Malawi Police Service stormed the Commission’s Head Office to investigate matters relating to findings in a purported audit report by the Auditor General.
Then earlier, on 15th July 2026, the Commission’s warehouse at Njewa in Lilongwe was sealed over outstanding rental obligations after the lease expired on 31st March 2026. In nearly 35 years since MEC was formed in the 1990s, its offices have never been sealed.
Police have never stormed MEC offices following the outcomes of an audit. That alone tells you something is fundamentally wrong.
The current leadership of MEC is always reactive and not proactive.
It waits for fire, then runs for a bucket. The leadership seems to be militant in its dealings, quick to posture but slow to prevent.
After the police visit yesterday, MEC issued a press release to clarify. It reads in part:
“The Malawi Electoral Commission wishes to update the public and stakeholders that, on the morning of 24th July 2026, a team of officers from the Fiscal and Fraud Section of the Malawi Police Service visited the Commission’s Head Office to investigate matters relating to the findings contained in a purported audit report by the Auditor General… The Commission reiterates that, to date, it has not yet received the preliminary audit report from the Office of the Auditor General and, therefore, has not been afforded the opportunity to review, respond to or clarify any matters that may have arisen during the audit process.”
A week earlier, MEC also issued a public statement on the Njewa warehouse sealing. It stated:
“The Malawi Electoral Commission wishes to inform the public that it has been served with a Court Order restraining access to its Warehouse located at Njewa in Lilongwe, over outstanding rental obligations, arising from the expiry of the lease agreement for the premises and non-renewal of the same….. The Commission is actively engaging the relevant Government authorities and the Landlord with a view to resolving the outstanding administrative processes and regularising the lease arrangement as soon as possible.”
The hard truth is that things are not ok at MEC.
Two press releases in one week, both damage control. Both explaining why basic administrative and governance processes collapsed.
The audit in question covered 1st April 2022 to 31st March 2026. The exit meeting was held on 12th May 2026. Yet to date, MEC says it has not received the preliminary audit report to respond.
Meanwhile, police are already knocking. That is not how an independent constitutional body manages risk.
You do not get to claim independence from government when it suits you, and then turn around to beg for lease approvals from the same government and blame delays.
MEC says it submitted a request to renew the Njewa lease in line with February 2026 expenditure controls, but got no response. So it stayed as a tenant holding over. That is poor planning.
A warehouse that holds sensitive electoral materials should never be left exposed to a court order because paperwork was pending.
The bigger problem is political. MEC leadership is becoming more political than independent from politics. It issues statements like a spokesperson, not like an institution.
It resists oversight, resists relocation to Blantyre when told, claims autonomy, but then runs back to government for money and approvals.
And now when the police want to do their work, it responds with what looks like a useless press release instead of opening the books and cooperating fully.
Let the police do their work. If the audit found gaps, answer them. If officers must be questioned, present them. Hiding behind procedure while your offices are being visited by fiscal police does not inspire confidence.
The public does not need more statements. It needs assurance that the body that runs elections is clean, organized, and above board.
This is not defamation. It is fact. In 35 years, MEC has never had its warehouse sealed. It has never had police at HQ over audit findings.
That is a new low. And it happened under the current leadership. Leadership is about preventing crises, not explaining them after the fact.
In all fairness, the leadership at MEC has failed the nation. The honorable thing now is to resign and let others drive MEC.
Bring in people who understand that independence means accountability, not isolation. People who will be proactive, not wait for police and court orders.
People who will treat public assets and public funds with the seriousness they deserve, especially months before Malawians go to the polls.
MEC cannot claim to safeguard democracy when it cannot safeguard its own offices and warehouses.
It cannot claim to be independent when it is entangled in avoidable administrative battles. Malawi deserves better. The time for excuses has passed.
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Email:jonesgadama@gmail.com
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