High court Judge Kenyatta Nyirenda has issued an injunction to three men ordering the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) to stop its relocation to Blantyre.
Nyirenda has granted the injunction to Emmanuel Chambulanyina Jere, Abraham Mwakhwawa, and Daniel Mwanyongo Chitonya along with the opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP). The three are represented by George Vijason Kadzipatike, who is also MCP Chief legal advisor.
According to the injunction, MEC is not required to move from Lilongwe or elsewhere until the court makes a determination on the matter.
“An Order of interlocutory injunction be and is hereby granted restraining the Defendants, their agents, servants or whosoever from implementing the decisions as contained in paragraphs 1(a) and 1(b) hereof or taking any further steps towards the relocation of the Malawi Electoral Commission from Lilongwe to Blantyre or to any other place whatsoever, until a further order of the Court or until determination of the substantive matters,” reads part of the order.
This comes days after the Attorney General Frank Mbeta directed MEC to comply with a presidential order issued in October 2025, which was issued by the state president for MEC to move its headquarters to Blantyre. The directive followed the High Court rulings that dismissed legal challenges seeking to block the move, determining that the electoral body is out of time to pursue judicial review.
The Attorney general argued that courts should not interfere with the President’s constitutional prerogative regarding national development and governance.
In October 2025, President Peter Mutharika issued Executive Order No. 1, directing several statutory bodies including MEC, the Malawi communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA), and the Malawi Housing Corporation (MHC), to relocate from Lilongwe to Blantyre, and the Malawi Prisons Service to relocate its headquarters to Zomba.
MEC openly defied the Executive Order, arguing that the directive interfered with its statutory and constitutional independence. They filed an application in the High Court for judicial review.
About The Author
