What is unfolding within the Malawi Defence Force (MDF) is more than a personnel dispute—it is a quiet institutional rebellion against what many officers see as political manoeuvring disguised as “redeployments.” Government’s decision to second highly trained military generals to civilian parastatals appears to have crossed a line, prompting a rare but decisive pushback from the military’s top brass.
This week, High Court Judge Kenyatta Nyirenda granted an injunction to five senior MDF officers, effectively freezing the government’s attempt to reassign them to civilian institutions. The officers—Major Generals Chikunkha Soko, Saiford Kalisha, Swithan Mchungula, Kakhuta Banda, and Brigadier General Harold Dzoole—challenged their redeployments as irregular, abrupt, and potentially undermining the integrity of military command structures.
Judiciary spokesperson Ruth Mputeni confirmed that the injunction “will operate as a stay of the redeployment pending judicial review,” a legal phrase that essentially means the government must pause and defend its actions before the courts.
The redeployments in question were eyebrow-raising from the start. The generals had been assigned to serve as directors of security at key state corporations—Escom, Nocma, Admarc and Egenco. Critics argue the move risks politicising the MDF by turning seasoned commanders into placeholders in parastatals that routinely sit at the centre of political battles. Supporters of the officers say the government appeared to be “playing games with people,” shuffling strategic military personnel without justification and ignoring the institutional implications.
By seeking judicial intervention, the officers have sent a strong and uncomfortable message: the military is unwilling to be used as a staffing reservoir for political convenience. The court’s injunction not only shields them individually but also opens the door for a broader review of how far the executive can go in deploying military personnel outside their constitutional mandate.
This case now sits at the intersection of security governance, civil-military relations, and political accountability. Whether the government will defend its actions convincingly—or quietly retreat—remains to be seen. But for now, the High Court has drawn a clear line: the redeployments cannot proceed until the legality and motives behind them are fully examined.
