Estranged former Commissioner for the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC), who is also believed to be the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) operative, Linda Kunje, has been convicted of an offence she committed in 2020 of obstructing the convoy of the President of the Republic of Malawi.
According to the country’s Traffic Laws, every motorist is obliged to pave way for the Presidential motorcade to pass whenever the President is travelling. On this material day, the President was travelling from the commercial city of Blantyre to the country’s old capital of Zomba for a graduation ceremony at the University of Malawi when Kunje ordered her driver to continue driving on her way to Zomba despite repeated warnings by the sweeper vehicle on the Presidential motorcade to pave way for the President to pass first.
The Court sitting in Zomba has since revoked Kunje’s bail alongside that of her former driver Jones Tewesa and the duo has headed to Prison pending the passing of the sentence. Before passing the sentence, the defence as well as the prosecution, as per the court’s procedures will make a case for the aggravating and mitigating factors on 23rd August.
According to the law, Kunje will be fined or will be handed a jail term of less than a year.
Meanwhile, citizens on social media have chided Kunje for her conduct.
Said Mark Mgulawanthu: “Let’s learn to be law-abiding citizens, we will lose nothing.” Added Solomon that “the woman [Kunje] was proud for nothing. Results of pride.”
