The Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI) is calling on President Lazarus Chakwera to suspend State House Chief of Staff Prince Kapondamgaga until he proves his innocence in a corruption case involving Zuneth Sattar. This is contained in a letter which has been signed by CDEDI Executive Director Sylvester Namiwa, and has been addressed to President Lazarus Chakwera. In a letter, Namiwa has expressed serious concerns regarding Kapondamgaga’s alleged involvement in a bribery scandal connected to UK businessman Zuneth Sattar. This comes as the UK’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court is currently hearing a case in which Kapondamgaga is accused of accepting a bribe from Sattar. According to Namiwa, the President’s ongoing association with Kapondamgaga undermines his commitment to combating corruption and raises doubts about his dedication to accountability. Additionally, CDEDI is questioning why Kapondamgaga has not been arrested, especially after he returned a Mercedes Benz S-Class 350d and K70,150,670, which were mentioned by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in a letter responding to Youth and Society (YAS). Namiwa has further stated that Kapondamgaga’s role as State House Chief of Staff represents a public trust, and his alleged corruption jeopardizes the integrity of that position. In this regard, he has urged President Chakwera to prioritize the fight against corruption by removing Kapondamgaga from office until his name is cleared.

Minister of Water and Sanitation Abida Mia says a multi billion kwacha water project has commenced in Blantyre. Mia who is an MP for Chikwanje Mkombezi said ground preparation for the project is at advanced stage. “As we are speaking, the consultant is on the ground and soon tenders will be placed to identify a contractor. The whole Blantyre will be a construction site.” She said. She said the project will improve sanitation and water availability in the city while creating jobs. “Its a World Bank funded project focusing on supply and sanitation improvement in Blantyre city under Blantyre Water Board.” Emphasized Robert Hanjahanja Chief Executive officer for BWB.

National Youth Council of Malawi(Nycom) will hold its second National youth Summit from 2nd to 4th July this year where President Dr Lazarus Chakwera has been invited to be the Guest of Honour. The event will be held at Bingu International Conference Center in the Capital Lilongwe. This was said during a press briefing in Lilongwe by NYCOM Executive Director Rex Chapota. Among other things, Chapota indicated that this years summit will tackle more issues especially on ATM strategy which includes Agriculture, Tourism and Mining. He has also added that peace will be preached at the summit as the country prepares for the general elections on September 16, this year. However, Chapota has also emphasized the need for partners to come and be part of the initiative. This years summit will be held under the theme “Harnessing Youth Innovation for Economic Empowerment and Sustainable Job Creation”. This year’s summit will be held amidst high unemployment rate for the youth who make over 50% of the total population,  most of which are usually used for political violence instead.

President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera has urged Malawians to continue putting their faith in God, seeking his guidance and wisdom in all aspects of life. Speaking during a Sunday worship service at Monkey Bay Assemblies of God in Mangochi, President Chakwera emphasized the importance of prioritizing spiritual values and focusing on issues that benefit the nation, as Malawi approaches general elections in September this year. He encouraged Malawians to look beyond personal interests, and start working towards improving the welfare of others, promoting a sense of unity and collective progress. “I want to encourage Malawians to put God first in all aspects of our lives, because it is through this, that we can cultivate a sense of purpose and morality. As the nation prepares for elections, let us focus on issues that benefit the greater good, and promoting peace and unity,” Chakwera said. The president also talked of the power of prayer, saying prayer should be a powerful tool in addressing various challenges for the nation’s greater future. In his remarks, Resident Pastor for Monkey Bay Assemblies of God, Reverend Alexander Chirwa said President Chakwera’s presence at the church service, signifies his dedication to his faith and his willingness to worship alongside congregants. He added that the church will continue praying for the President and the First Lady for good health. In his sermon, Chirwa spoke about the journey of life, encouraging congregants to remain focused despite facing spiritual challenges, emphasizing that God has a purpose for every individual. Monkey Bay Assemblies of God, established in 1990, has over 500 registered members, with Rev. Chirwa serving as the 12th resident pastor since its establishment.

The cat is finally out of the bag and the safety gates at the Malawi State House can no be closed as officials connected to Chakwera’s Administration get exposed in the Sattar bribery Case. The Malawi State house is now haunted as the UK’s case against businessman Zuneth Sattar is now opening a can of worms that have been covered for along time. Prince Harvey Kampondamgaga, the Chief of Staff to President Lazarus Chakwera’s name appears four times on the charge sheets laid before a British foreign courtroom. The court session, R v. Sattar, case number 00NS5051220, in Westminster Magistrates’ Court, began at 14:00 hrs British local time on 30th May, 2025. There are recorded voices to be played by the jury in court that will send shivers into the nervous Chakwera’s inner circle where it is believed that even family members will be exposed. Chakwera has a tendency of shielding his government officials on corruption cases, spinning stories by his media zealots but we are yet to hear how he is going to shift blame to others for his own mess. Shockingly the late Vice President Dr Saulos Chilima who died in a mysterious plane crash in Chikangawa last year will be haunted in death as he also appears on the charge sheet in the UK courtroom. He was one of the few who were charged in Malawi on this bribery case but his case was dropped under very strange circumstances days before his death. Chakwera can no longer use his ‘Man of God’ status to distance himself from the mess because he has to know that he is equally responsible for fighting corruption as he is the head of government. His Administration is at the centre of serious corruption cases involving senior members of his government even in the state house and party. MCP government has been shielding corrupt officials ever since Chakwera came to power in 2020 resorting to arresting opposition party officials on tramped up charges leaving all people connected to MCP. As justice is pursued in UK, it is murdered in Malawi. This case has to be revived in Malawi because Malawians cannot depend of the UK for justice. All those implicated have to face the long arm of the law. Chakwera and his government must be prepared to face the nation and explain what his government will do to address this issue and about all Malawian officials appearing on the charge sheet in UK court room. Silence will no longer help matters in this case. The Ministry of Finance authorized a payment of $4.98 million (about K8.8 billion) to International Armored Group for 32 Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs)—a deal originally signed with Malachite FZE, a company linked to Sattar in November 2023. Chakwera once publicly confessed to the nation that he might have received money from people like Sattar as a gift without knowing, which means he received huge sums of money without asking why he was given such gifts. The cat is out of the bag.

UK’s National Crime Agency that arrested Malawi-born businessperson Zuneth Sattar over bribery allegations is finally going to charge him in UK. A good number of senior government officials including in the army, media fraternity and Members of Parliament are believed to be implicated in this case. In Malawi this case has stalled for a long time with allegations that the case was dropped due to political interferences by some government officials who are believed to be implicated in the K150 billion bribery scandal. Sattar is scheduled to appear before the Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday, May 30, 2025, to face an eruptive list of about 18 counts in Courtroom 08, under the jurisdiction of the Central London Magistrates’ Court, under the UK’s Bribery Act. He was involved in allegation of  bribing senior Malawian government officials to secure lucrative contracts. President Lazarus Chakwera once publicly released a report to the nation citing over 80 officials implicated in this bribery case with few being mentioned by names. Some of the notable names mentioned in this case are the late Vice President, the late Saulos Klaus Chilima; former Malawi Defence Force, Counsel Brigadier General Dan Kuwali; State House Chief of Staff, Prince Kapondamgaga; former Inspector General of Police, George Kainja; former Solicitor General former Inspector General of Police, Anti-Corruption Bureau Director General, Reyneck Matemba; members of the judiary, Media practitioners —among others. Only Kuwali, a serving senior officer in the Malawi Defence Force (MDF) has not been charged while the rest have. Sattar is being prosecuted under sections 6 and 11 of the UK Bribery Act 2010 according to the Standard Court List for Westminster Magistrates’ Court, which outlaws the bribery of foreign public officials. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of 12 months’ imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine while some are chargeable only, rendering the person who commits it liable to be charged with a serious crime that warrants a trial by jury and if he is found guilty, Sattars property will be seized by authorities in UK. In Malawi government has been noncommittal in proceeding with the case to the extent of arresting former Director General of Anti Corruption Bureau, Martha Chizuma in an attempt to cover up the case. It is believed that Malawians will now know the truth as tapes of conversations involving suspected government officials will be played in court, letters read including some of the evidences that will be presented  made public. This publication will be giving you updates of the case in our subsequent news.

Minister of Agriculture Sam Kawale says his ministry has invested heavily in research to come up with seeds that are high yielding, drought tolerant, pest and disease resistant. Kawale made the remarks after noting that many farmers are still using old varieties of seeds that are not benefiting them, perpetually leaving them with low yield and less income. “After releasing these new varieties, the extension service providers have the task to share this information with farmers across the country,” Kawale said. He indicated that the new Extension policy that was launched two weeks ago will bring a new beginning of accelerating in adopting of the new seed varieties which will increase yield and incomes at a household level. “Some of the bean varieties have the potential to have a 2.5 tones a hectare in yield, while some maize varieties can have 10 tones and above per hectare in yield,” Kawale revealed. He further said the jackpot is in cassava where one can have 30 tones per hectare.

On Tuesday 27 May, 2025, Plan Malawi also donated motorcycles to Mwanza police station and in the picture, Mwanza Police Station officer-in-charge Assistant Commissioner Kelvin Maigwa thanking Plan Malawi Manager, Jane Mweziwina who donated the motorcycle on the behalf of her organization. Plan Malawi recently embarked on the project aimed at enhancing capacities of different stakeholders in order to effectively address issues of human trafficking in the country. The project called “Enhancing Capacities Coordination and Combating Trafficking in Persons” was implemented in Mulanje and Mwanza districts in collaboration with the police, Ministry of Gender, Department of Immigration as well as judiciary with financial support from US Department of States. As one way of assisting the police in responding to emergency fast, Plan Malawi has donated motorcycles to the two police stations to ease mobility challenges in the fight against child abuse which is rampant in the country. Sparking during the donation which was held on Monday May 26, 2025 at Mulanje police station, Program Area Manager, Jane Mweziwina, said her office felt it necessary to donate the motorcycle after noting that the station lacks it when dealing with cases of child protection. Program Area Manager, further said her organization would continue to work with law enforces in order to reduce child protection cases in the district. In his remarks, the Officer-In-Charge for Mulanje Police Station, Assistant Commissioner of Police Moses Chibwe, applauded Plan Malawi for the gesture saying it has come at the right time. Similar motorcycle donation was made to Mwanza police station on Tuesday 27 May, 2025 and the officer-in-charge, Assistant Commissioner of Police Kelvin Maigwa received the gift on behalf of the station. The total value for the two motorcycles is estimated at K30 million. With the country’s porous borders, most boarder districts such as Mulanje, Mangochi, Mwanza and Mchinji record high number of cases of child trafficking to neighboring countries to work in tobacco farms as laborers.  

The Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) is under fire following revelations that it is procuring 15,000 new electronic machines, estimated between K8 billion and K11 billion from Taiwan. These are allegedly for use on polling day for voter verification—despite such use being prohibited under current electoral laws. Informed sources within MEC have disclosed to Khulubvi Post that the machines are in addition to the equipment already sourced from the controversial Smartmatic. The new procurement, shrouded in secrecy, has not been disclosed to political parties, civil society organizations, or the Malawi Electoral Support Network (MESN), sparking concerns of deliberate exclusion and a lack of transparency amid widespread voter rigging claims against the ruling Malawi Congress Party (MCP). Prominent elections experts from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have condemned the move, calling it a “serious violation of the democratic process.” “We were not consulted. As key stakeholders in the electoral process, we find it unacceptable that MEC is spending billions on machines without informing us or justifying their use,” one UNDP staff member told Khulubvi Post. Reports suggest that the new devices will be used for voter verification on polling day—a function not permitted by Malawi’s Electoral Act. This has raised alarms over possible attempts to tamper with voter rolls or manipulate vote management systems under the guise of technological upgrades. Adding to the controversy is the recent, unexplained deployment of MEC’s IT officers to various districts. Anonymous sources within MEC allege that these movements are linked to early preparations for setting up the machines across the country, in anticipation of their use during the next elections. Civil society organizations have also weighed in, calling the development “a dangerous undermining of democratic accountability.” MESN’s Executive Director added, “This raises more questions than answers. Transparency is non-negotiable in electoral processes. We demand that MEC halts all procurement and deployment of these machines until an independent investigation is conducted.” Parliamentary committees, particularly the Legal Affairs and Public Accounts Committees, are reportedly unaware of the procurement. It remains doubtful whether they will summon MEC officials in the coming days to provide clarity on the financing and intended use of the machines. As of now, MEC has not released any official statement addressing the concerns. Repeated attempts to reach Chairperson Justice Anabel Mtalimanja for comment have been unsuccessful. Observers warn that unless the issue is addressed swiftly, it could erode public trust in the 2025 elections and trigger wider political tensions.