Malawi is now watching its government drift into dangerous territory. Many citizens and critics say the DPP administration is acting like a rogue outfit, even describing it as a mafia government—a small group of powerful people making decisions as if the country belongs to them.
Once again, the courts have stepped in to stop this behaviour.
The Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Justin Saidi, has been busy issuing strange and aggressive redeployments of senior officers in the civil service, the Police Service, and the Defence Force. But this time, he has been stopped in his tracks. The courts have reminded him—and the entire government—that Malawi is not a dictatorship and no official has unlimited powers.
Across the civil service, people are losing respect for this administration. Many feel it has lost its legitimacy, acting more out of anger, revenge, nepotism and regional favoritism than out of duty to the nation. Instead of serving Malawians, the government seems more interested in dragging everyone into politics and punishing those who don’t bend to its will.
The latest pushback came from the High Court in Lilongwe. Five senior Malawi Police Service Commissioners—Christopher Katani, Rhoda Manjolo, Emmanuel Soko, Chikondi Chingadza, and Barbra Mchenga Tsiga—challenged their forced redeployment. The court agreed with them and issued an injunction today Thursday November 28, 2025, stopping the government from moving them. Justice William Yakuwawa Msiska even allowed them to pursue a full judicial review of the decision.
And this is not the first time. Just last week, another High Court judge, Kenyatta Nyirenda, blocked the controversial redeployment of Malawi Defence Force officers.
All these court actions send one loud message: the government’s actions are out of control, and the law must step in before things get worse.
If Malawi’s democracy is to survive, the courts may be the only institution still strong enough to stop an increasingly aggressive and unpopular administration from pushing the country down a dangerous path.
