High Court Judge Kenyatta Nyirenda has delivered one of the harshest and most humiliating attacks ever made by a Malawian judge against the country’s media, accusing journalists and media houses of ignorance, propaganda, distortion of court rulings and embarrassing levels of incompetence.
Judge Kenyatta Nyirenda
In his ruling in Major General Francis Blessings Kakhuta Banda & Others v Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Justice Nyirenda openly expressed frustration with how the media reported on the case, saying many journalists clearly did not understand what they were talking about.
The judge said some media reports were “utterly unfounded and without merit but just full of rhetoric and propaganda,” and warned that journalists are misleading the public by reporting on issues that are beyond their understanding.
Quoting philosopher Bertrand Russell, the judge said:
“A stupid man’s report of what a clever man says is never accurate, because he unconsciously translates what he hears into something that he can understand.”
Justice Nyirenda said this perfectly describes how Malawian journalists handle court matters, because they twist legal issues into simple political stories without understanding the law.
He also warned individuals and organisations to stop rushing to hold press conferences without proper legal guidance, saying such behaviour only exposes their ignorance and embarrasses them in public.
“Please resist rushing to call for press conferences. Let your lawyers have your statements vetted. Otherwise you will continue to embarrass yourselves. Eggs on your faces,” the judge said, adding that only organisations without integrity behave this way.
Justice Nyirenda went further to question whether journalism in Malawi is even regulated at all. He asked who qualifies people calling themselves journalists and whether anyone checks their credentials.
“Is the holding of press conferences governed by any laws in Malawi? Who verifies the credentials of journalists being allowed to ask questions?” he asked.
The judge said he was shocked by some of the questions journalists asked during press briefings related to the case.
“At which school of journalism are students being taught that courts have to decide cases based on what the President says?” he asked.
He described some journalists as having the courage to walk to the microphone only to “spew nonsensical statements,” calling it “very shameful and embarrassing.”
Justice Nyirenda then directly mocked the idea of press freedom, suggesting that some journalists are using it as an excuse for ignorance.
“Well perhaps this is what is meant by press freedom?” he said sarcastically.
The judge also attacked a local radio station for repeatedly running stories about Malawian judges while showing pictures of judges from other countries.
“How does a radio station run a story about judges in Malawi but uses pictures of judges from outside Malawi?” he asked.
He said the mistake has happened many times and can no longer be forgiven, accusing the station of “vincible ignorance” — ignorance that comes from laziness and refusal to learn.
“It is astounding how a radio station that prides itself as all-knowing does not even know that it is featuring the wrong picture,” the judge said.
He concluded that some Malawian media houses do not even know which courts the judges they talk about actually sit in.
In simple terms, Justice Nyirenda’s message to the media is brutal and clear: Malawian journalism is careless, poorly trained, legally ignorant and increasingly dangerous to public understanding. According to the judge, the media is no longer informing citizens — it is confusing them, embarrassing itself, and turning serious legal matters into propaganda.
