Ending Campaign Handouts No Easy Battle, Registrar Admits

Registrar of Political Parties Kizito Tenthani has conceded that stamping out the entrenched culture of campaign handouts in Malawi’s elections remains a difficult task, warning that enforcement alone will not end a practice deeply embedded in the country’s political landscape.

Speaking in an interview on the sidelines of an awareness meeting in Luwinga Ward in Mzuzu City North Constituency ahead of the March 17 parliamentary and local government by-elections, Tenthani said the fight against vote-buying requires stronger civic education and greater capacity for his office.

His remarks come amid mounting criticism from political stakeholders who accuse the Registrar’s office of failing to crack down on politicians who continue to distribute handouts during campaigns despite a clear legal ban.

But Tenthani defended his office, saying the enforcement of the law depends heavily on the public providing credible evidence that can stand in court.

“We need evidence that can stand in court and people who are firm enough to bring us that evidence,” he said.

“Some people ask why we depend on evidence. What else would we do? Even the police rely on complaints supported by solid proof.”

He argued that expecting the Registrar’s office to single-handedly police the entire country is unrealistic.

“Even if our office existed for 10 years, we cannot cover the whole country. If people say we failed simply because we did not arrest anyone, then that is unfair,” said Tenthani.

He noted that while the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) has operated for years, it has also evolved gradually, suggesting that institutional strengthening takes time.

According to Tenthani, his office has so far recorded two complaints related to campaign handouts in the run-up to the March 17 by-elections, both originating from Zomba. The complaints, he said, are currently under review.

However, the scale of the challenge was laid bare earlier this year when the Registrar’s office revealed that 172 handout-related complaints filed during the September 16, 2025 General Election were dismissed, largely due to lack of evidence or incomplete investigations.

Tenthani said many of the complaints submitted did not contain sufficient material to support prosecution, while in other cases complainants expected the Registrar’s office to carry out field investigations itself.

Meanwhile, civil society organisations say changing public attitudes toward handouts is critical if Malawi is to end the cycle of vote-buying.

Freency Mapanga, Mzuzu district programmes officer for the National Initiative for Civic Education (Nice) Trust, said the organisation has been working with the Registrar’s office to intensify civic education campaigns.

“We have been engaging aspirants in the by-elections to encourage them to focus on policies rather than vote-buying,” she said.

On his part, Centre for Multiparty Democracy (CMD) executive director Boniface Chibwana said the time has come to strengthen the Registrar’s office so that it can effectively investigate and handle complaints.

Malawi outlawed campaign handouts under Section 41 (1) of the Political Parties Act of 2018, which prohibits any candidate, political party or individual contesting an election from distributing material inducements to voters.

In May 2025, government also gazetted regulations to reinforce enforcement of the law.

Yet despite the legal framework, the practice continues to haunt Malawi’s electoral politics—highlighting the deep gap between the law and the political culture on the ground.

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