Right to Write

IN THE NAME OF SAVING MALAWI... By Joseph Kayira | 20 November 2023 Where I live, we are still arguing; and bone of contention is the 44 percent devaluation of the Malawi Kwacha, which the Reserve Bank of Malawi announced some days ago. We were informed that the devaluation was a necessary evil that once effected it would unlock donor funds that this country very much needs for development projects and to resuscitate the economy, which has been in the doldrums for far too long. The exchange rate was adjusted from the selling rate of K1,180.29 to K1,700.00 United States Dollars with effect from 9 November 2023. The Central bank said the adjustment stemmed from an assessment it conducted which showed that: Supply demand imbalances remain in the market despite adjustments of the exchange rate through the auction system; arbitrage opportunities have resurfaced in the market due to the mismatch in the exchange rates in the cash and TT markets; and that spot checks on some of the players ind...

Casual attitude towards sexual violence and mob justice? By JOSEPH KAYIRA | 1 November 2023  In December 2020, a press statement by the Malawi Human Rights Commission (MHRC) observed how widespread cases of violence against women and girls had become at the time. It said reports of rape and defilement were widespread. Equally, MHRC said the country had witnessed increased levels of violence and mob justice against some elderly persons who – until today – are accused of witchcraft.  Three years down the line, the situation has not improved. There have been reports of instances of mob justice; video clips have gone viral of women stripping fellow women in broad day light and the intention has been to shame the victims for going out with married men. We still get police beats of men who force themselves on their own daughters. And newspapers are awash with reports of suspected murder cases. The question is: why this rise in cases of sexual violence and mob justice? At a time when...