Malawi’s diplomatic passport regime is under fire again after revelations of abuse, political interference, and elite privilege. The scandal has dragged into the spotlight one of Malawi’s most powerful honorary diplomats—Nir Gess, the Israeli-born businessman who has represented Malawi in Israel for decades.
A Passport Scandal Exposed
In April 2025, the Department of Immigration revoked a diplomatic passport hastily issued to Nigerian tycoon Dozy Mmobuosi. Officials admitted it was an “administrative oversight” after the United States raised red flags. Sources within Immigration told The passport was approved at the “highest political level” and processed within hours—something ordinary Malawians can only dream of.
The revocation, while swift, has cracked open the deeper problem: Malawi’s diplomatic passports are treated as political favors and business tools, not instruments of state duty.
The Nir Gess Diplomatic Passport in Question
Although not accused in the Mmobuosi saga, Nir Gess embodies the structural rot. As Malawi’s Honorary Consul to Israel, Gess is not entitled under law to a Malawian diplomatic passport. Yet questions swirl about whether he, and others in similar positions, have enjoyed privileges well outside official regulations.
At the same time, Gess controls agribusiness estates in Malawi—primarily tobacco and farming—industries long criticized by international watchdogs for labor exploitation and child labor. His dual role as diplomatic representative and businessman raises glaring conflicts of interest.
And yet, far from being questioned, Gess is being celebrated abroad. The Ambassadors’ Club of Israel has nominated him for its Honorary Consul of the Year 2025 award, while at home Malawi reels from a passport scandal that exposes the elite capture of state instruments.
Who Signs the Passports?
At the heart of the scandal is political interference. Diplomatic passports fall under the Department of Immigration, but insiders say that ultimate authority lies with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Office of the President and Cabinet.
Critics say the issuance of diplomatic passports has become a tool of patronage—granted to foreign businessmen, political donors, and connected elites.
The Foreign Affairs Ministry has failed to publish clear guidelines or a register of who holds these passports, despite repeated calls for transparency.
The Immigration Department, under pressure, has admitted to “oversights” but has not named the officials who authorized the illegal documents.
In short: no one is being held accountable.
Labour, Business, and Diplomacy Collide
The scandal also intersects with Malawi’s controversial labour export program to Israel, launched in 2023. Thousands of Malawians have been sent to work on Israeli farms, with reports of exploitation and asylum-seeking by some workers. Gess has been a vocal figure in this program, often defending it publicly.
But here lies the conflict: a businessman with estates in Malawi is also positioned as a gatekeeper of Malawian labour in Israel. That concentration of power is exactly what critics warn against—private business disguised as diplomacy.
A Call for Action
Malawi can no longer afford to look away. Civil society is demanding:
A full audit and publication of all diplomatic passports issued since 2020.
Resignation or removal of officials who facilitated the illegal issuance of passports.
Clear separation between business interests and honorary diplomatic roles, with mandatory declarations of interest.
Independent oversight of the Israel labour program, including worker welfare monitoring and transparent reporting.
The Bigger Picture
The Mmobuosi passport was just one exposed case. For years, diplomatic passports have been quietly handed out to businessmen, political fixers, and well-connected elites while ordinary Malawians line up endlessly for ordinary travel documents.
Nir Gess’s glittering recognition in Israel highlights a painful irony: while he is praised abroad, Malawians at home are asking whether their country’s sovereignty is being auctioned off one passport at a time.
Until names are published, officials held accountable, and honorary diplomats held to clear standards, Malawi’s diplomatic passport will remain less a symbol of state dignity—and more a currency of corruption.
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