A dramatic legal twist has shaken the political contest between the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) after the High Court in Mzuzu threw out the results of the Mzimba Hora parliamentary election—an outcome that had placed the DPP’s Martha Munthali (Mzomera Ngwira) in Parliament.
The ruling, delivered by Judge Thomson Ligowe, is expected to intensify the rivalry between the two major political parties, as the MCP now finds itself with an unexpected second chance to reclaim a seat it believed had been taken under questionable circumstances.
The case was initiated by Henri Mumba, the MCP candidate who contested the May polls and later questioned the legitimacy of the declared results. Represented in court by lawyer Justin Dzonzi, Mumba argued that the electoral process in Mzimba Hora was compromised to an extent that made the announced victory unreliable and untrustworthy.
In a judgment described by court observers as both firm and meticulous, the judge highlighted serious irregularities that he said should never have been allowed to influence or determine an election outcome. While the finer details of the irregularities emerged through court proceedings, the judge’s conclusion was unambiguous: the election could not stand.
This decision has left Deputy Minister of Gender Martha Munthali, represented by lawyer Christon Ghambi, facing not only the loss of the seat but also the financial burden of the legal process. The court ordered that Munthali and the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) jointly bear the legal costs incurred by Mumba.
The ruling has not only reset the electoral clock for Mzimba Hora but has also added fresh energy to the MCP, which sees this as vindication of its long-standing concerns about electoral malpractice in the constituency. Meanwhile, the DPP is confronted with the challenge of defending a seat it believed it had secured, now under scrutiny from both the courts and the electorate.
Political analysts suggest that the upcoming rerun—once scheduled—will be a highly contested battle, as both parties will seek to turn this judicial shock into electoral advantage. For now, the spotlight remains firmly on Mzimba Hora, where voters are set to return to the polls under the shadow of a court ruling that has reshaped the narrative of the constituency’s political future.
