Muluzi 2, Msaka 0: Supreme Court Deals Final Blow in Machinga Likwenu Battle
The political contest for Machinga Likwenu Constituency has ended in decisive fashion—and once again, Tulinje Muluzi has come out on top.
In a major legal setback for former Democratic Progressive Party legislator Bright Msaka, the Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal has dismissed his application challenging the election of Tulinje Muluzi as Member of Parliament for Machinga Likwenu Constituency.
The ruling effectively seals the matter, marking what political observers are calling “a second defeat” for Msaka in the bruising electoral and legal battle.
The dispute dates back to the parliamentary elections when the Malawi Electoral Commission declared Muluzi—who ran on the United Democratic Front ticket—the winner with 6,027 votes.
Msaka finished a distant second with 3,935 votes, while independent candidate Macdonald Makanjira secured 1,551 votes.
Unhappy with the result, Msaka and Makanjira took the matter to the High Court of Malawi, arguing that the election was riddled with irregularities and asking the court to order a fresh poll in the constituency. But the High Court rejected their petition and upheld Muluzi’s victory.
Still unwilling to concede defeat, the pair escalated the matter to the country’s highest court. That move has now backfired.
Confirming the development, Muluzi’s lawyer Victor Jere said a nine-judge panel of the Supreme Court of Appeal—led by Deputy Chief Justice Lovemore Chikopa—dismissed the application outright.
“The court dismissed the application because the applicants failed to follow the proper procedures for filing an appeal,” Jere said.
The decision not only ends the legal challenge but also cements Muluzi’s mandate in the constituency. For Msaka, the outcome underscores a double loss—first at the ballot box and now in the country’s highest court.
For Muluzi, however, the ruling is a powerful affirmation: victory in the election, and victory in the courtroom. In political terms, the scoreboard now reads plainly:
Muluzi 2 – Msaka 0.
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