Corruption Bureau? ACB Kills Case Against Mayor Sagawa Despite Damning Evidence
In what is now being described as a blatant betrayal of public trust, Malawi’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has effectively buried a damning investigation implicating Lilongwe Mayor Esther Sagawa in a massive land scandal. Acting ACB Director General Hillary Chilomba has shut down the months-long probe, despite an interim report that explicitly recommended Sagawa’s prosecution for abuse of office. The decision, made just weeks before the crucial September 2025 elections, has triggered a wave of outrage, with legal experts and civil society accusing the Bureau of becoming a willing accomplice in high-level corruption.
The investigation, which began in February this year, unearthed serious irregularities in the allocation of over 300 plots of land in Lilongwe’s Area 27. Investigators discovered that Mayor Sagawa, a key figure in the ruling Malawi Congress Party (MCP), had maneuvered to reserve at least 70 plots for herself. Sources confirmed that she bypassed formal procedures, informed land allocation officials that certain plots were being reserved for unnamed State House staff, and later sent a WhatsApp message listing 78 additional plots to be reserved. When the committee raised concerns, she reportedly stormed into a meeting at Chikho Hotel in Mponela, demanded another 35 plots, and issued threats when officials resisted. The investigation further revealed she had manipulated the land allocation committee into approving her demands, in clear violation of Section 25(B)(1) of the Corrupt Practices Act.
Yet despite overwhelming evidence and a strong recommendation from the ACB’s own investigators, Acting DG Hillary Chilomba ordered the case closed and cleared Sagawa and the implicated councillors. When pressed for comment, Chilomba declined to engage directly and instead deferred to the Bureau’s acting spokesperson, Jacque Ngongonda, who downplayed the scandal and dismissed the findings. According to Ngongonda, “The investigation has been concluded and its findings did not establish abuse of office.” This version of events is contradicted by multiple credible internal sources who confirm that the original findings clearly recommended prosecution.
What’s more alarming is the legal and political context within which Chilomba is operating. Appointed as Acting Director General after the controversial removal of Martha Chizuma in mid-2024, Chilomba has already overstayed the six-month legal limit for acting appointments. Her continued tenure, reappointed by President Lazarus Chakwera in December 2024 under the pretext of avoiding a leadership vacuum, is being challenged in court, along with the process for appointing a permanent Director General. In this vacuum of accountability, the Bureau is now seen as deeply compromised and vulnerable to political manipulation.
The timing of Sagawa’s clearance is no coincidence. As the ruling party braces for a tough election and potential loss of power, the decision to protect one of their own appears to be a strategic move to insulate politically connected individuals from the consequences of their actions. The Mayor, only 32 years old and a rising star in the MCP, represents not just a political asset but a symbol of how the ruling elite is willing to compromise justice to hold onto influence.
This case is not just about one mayor’s greed. It is about an entire system that now seems rigged to protect the powerful. The ACB, once a beacon of hope in Malawi’s fight against corruption, has instead become a political firewall—shielding wrongdoers, muzzling whistleblowers, and blocking the path to justice. By halting the prosecution, the Bureau has sent a dangerous message to Malawians: that loyalty to political power is a stronger currency than the law. As the country approaches its most consequential election yet, the question remains: who will hold the powerful accountable when the very institutions meant to do so have become tools of political protection?
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