The Peace and Unity Commission says it is investigating recent cases of political violence in the country.
The commission’s chairperson Mary Nkosi said Tuesday that the commission does not act on social media reports but verifies incidents thoroughly before responding to issues.
Nkosi was speaking on concerns raised over political violence cases reported in Lilongwe and Blantyre, incidents that stakeholders warn could escalate as the country approaches the September 16 2025 Local Government, Parliamentary and Presidential Elections.
She said the commission values the importance of a systematic approach to addressing an issue.
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“We do not just go out to condemn hearsay; we want to make sure [that] we verify that there has been some kind of violence that we can condemn,” Nkosi said.
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However, Human Rights Defenders Coalition Chairperson Gift Trapence accused the commission of sleeping on the job.
Trapence said the commission’s slow response could allow cases of political intolerance to fester.
“The commission has failed Malawians because it is too quiet on the issue of political violence that has been happening in the country. We are going towards elections and we cannot keep on watching people fighting. This is the time for the commission to stand up and condemn the violence and also engage stakeholders to prevent more fighting,” Trapence said.
On Monday, a protest march on fuel scarcity was thwarted in Lilongwe by armed police personnel and an unidentified group of masked men who were brandishing pangas.
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Recently, Information Minister Moses Kunkuyu’s convoy was stoned in Ndirande Township, Blantyre, where he went on official assignments.
