Right to Write

REPRESSIVE REGIMES HATE INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISTS  By Joseph Kayira | 8 February 2024 In 2022, veteran journalist Gregory Gondwe was invited to South West Region Police Headquarters in Blantyre for what the police said was an interview on the ongoing investigations police were conducting regarding an online news story published by Platform for Investigative Journalism (PIJ) and other related issues. It was not an interview; it turned out to be an interrogation. He was at the police for hours and only gained his freedom around 5:00 pm. Police impounded his equipment such as a laptop and mobile phone. Someone senior in government apologized for Gregory Gondwe’s arrest when it became clear that he was behind the journalist’s arrest. Malawi’s development partners, the United States and the United Kingdom issued a statement condemning the arrest, further expressing concern over the conduct of police to raid the offices of PIJ, where Gondwe works. “We note that he now has been released b...

STORM BREWING OR DUST SETTLING IN DPP? By Joseph Kayira | 2 February 2024 A few days ago, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) expelled some of its senior members, who included its former vice president for the South Kondwani Nankhumwa, former publicity secretary Nicholas Dausi and former secretary general Grezelder Jeffrey. This protracted battle started well before the general elections in 2019. It worsened when it was announced that DPP president Peter Mutharika would step down to pave way for a new leader. Nankhumwa was one of the people who declared his interest to contest for the DPP presidency. Five others have been associated with the presidency too. They are Bright Msaka, DPP vice president for eastern region and legislator for Machinga Likwenu; Dalitso Kabambe, former governor of the Reserve Bank of Malawi; Paul Gadama, a businessman; Joseph Mwanamvekha, member of Parliament for Chiradzulu South; and Living Word Evangelical Church Prophet David Mbewe. Mwanamvekha and Mbewe have...