Malawi police have arrested eight people on suspicion of tampering with results in this week’s general elections, following growing calls for action from senior Malawi Congress Party (MCP) figures.
The arrests were made on Friday at Nkhoma Constituency Tally Centre in Lilongwe, where the suspects were working as data entry clerks during the September 16 vote. Police say the arrests are part of ongoing investigations into alleged result manipulation in favour of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
In a statement, police spokesperson Peter Kalaya said the arrests followed inquiries into an attempted suicide by Clement Chikankha, a Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) returning officer for Lilongwe Nkhoma. Chikankha, who was replaced after the incident, is also under investigation. Kalaya added that police are pursuing similar cases in Mangochi, Chikwawa, Blantyre, Machinga and Rumphi.
Earlier in the day, former MCP Secretary General Eisenhower Mkaka publicly demanded the arrest of what he called “DPP operatives” who had allegedly infiltrated MEC as presiding officers and data clerks to inflate opposition tallies. By evening, police confirmed multiple arrests had been made.
MCP’s presidential running mate, Vitumbiko Mumba, urged supporters to remain calm as the official process unfolds. “We are not fighting for victory but fighting in victory,” he wrote on his Facebook page, stressing that some of the individuals accused of tampering with results were already in custody.
MEC chairperson Justice Annabel Mtalimanja confirmed the arrest of Chikankha, and said another returning officer had been deployed to complete the tallying process.
Authorities have appealed to Malawians to remain patient and peaceful as investigations continue, with police vowing to “work against the clock” to finalise the probe.
