By Draxon Maloya
On Friday, November 1, 2024, police in Mzuzu impounded a two-tonner lorry belonging to Mafumu Mkandawire, the Malawi Congress Party’s aspiring candidate for Mzuzu City North Constituency.
The vehicle, registration number 10029, was allegedly carrying people from other constituencies to register at three centres: Galileya, Mganthila, and Thandazga.
Eyewitnesses claim that the lorry has been transporting individuals from Nkhata Bay North and Mzimba North-East Constituencies.
However, Mkandawire contradicted himself when denying any involvement, stating he had just arrived from Karonga and was merely mobilizing people to register.
“I was only mobilizing people to get registered and not ferrying people from other Constituencies. I have just arrived from Karonga and where is the evidence that the people we ferried are from other Constituencies,” Mkandawire said.
Ikonsana Malaya Nkhata, a local resident, contradicted Mkandawire’s claims, affirming that over half of the registered individuals in the disputed areas were strangers ferried from other constituencies.
“Last week on Wednesday, we also managed to catch a lot of people here in Thandazga who were from areas in other Constituencies like Biya, Choma and Galileya that were ferried by the same Mafumu Mkandawire,” said Insosana Nkhata.
Other aspiring candidates, Leonard Njikho and Paul Nthambazale, alleged that Mkandawire had been involved in similar incidents before.
“Last week, we caught people from areas like Biya, Choma, and Galileya, ferried by Mkandawire,” stated Nthambzale.
The District Elections Monitoring Committee, led by Mzuzu City Council’s CEO, Gomezgani Nyasulu, and Mzuzu Police Officer in charge Assistant Commissioner Donnie Chionda, has assured concerned parties that drastic measures will be taken to address the matter.
The incident highlights concerns about voter registration irregularities and the importance of ensuring free and fair elections in Malawi.
