Kabwila charged with ‘treason’, bail granted: Malawi WhatsApp coup plot

February 23, 2016 Alfred Chauwa –Nyasa Times 79 Comments

Hundreds of Malawi Congress Parrty (MCP) supporters on Tuesday morning cheered their party spokesperson Jessie Kabwila in Lilongwe  after bail was granted following her arrest on Monday after attending parliament.

Kabwila with Kaliwo out of police
Kabwila with Kaliwo out of police
Kabwila: Released on bail
Kabwila: Released on bail

Kabwira was arrested on Monday and told Nyasa Times that she had been charged with “treason” over a conversation on WhatsApp that purportedly talks about how President Peter Mutharika could be toppled.

“I have been charged with treason and not sedition. It’s laughable to use archaic oppressive laws to punish opposition,” said Kabwila to Nyasa Times accompanied by MCP secretary general and her lawyer Gustav Kaliwo.

On Monday night, MCP members stormed the Kanengo holding cells where they chanted anti government songs and blocked the main gate with a lorry.

“Zonse zimene, nza Kamuzu Banda,” sang some women MCP supporters, as they whipped up emotions and support for Kabwila by chanting the name of MCP’s and Malawi founding president.

MCP members became more angry when the police officers had refused Kabwila’s mother to enter and see her daughter.

It took intervention of senior Police officers to let Kabwila’s mother in as demanded by the family and the MCP members.

On Monday, Members of Parliament removed police roadblocks which were mounted around at the entrance of the Parliament.

Police mounted a roadblock before arresting Kabwila who was enroute to German Embassy to seek refuge.

The arrest of Kabwira is contrary to laws of Malawi that an MP should not be arrested when coming or going to parliament.

National Police Spokesperson Nicholas Gondwa said there could be more arrests.

“We have arrested in connection to the conversation on the WhatsApp,” said Gondwa.

Kabwila and MCP legal advisor Lewis Chakhwantha could not be found on Sunday when police arrested another MCP member Ulemu Msungama who has been pressed with sedition charges.

However, the two were at the Parliament chamber on Monday afternoon at the start of mid-term budget review.

Meanwhile  Chankwantha is still taking refuge at German Embassy.

Police say the MCP members discussed how to conduct an insurrection similar to Egyptian revolt that brought down Hosni Mubarak after nearly three decades in power.

“If the investigations lead us into new avenues we will arrest more,”  Gondwa said.

Kabwila is MP for Salima North West while  Chakwantha is legislator for Lilongwe Rural South West.

MCP  has rejected accusations by police that its members were part of a plan to topple the government by violent means.

MCP Deputy Secretary General Eisenhower Mkaka said the arrests might be an attempt to destabilise the MCP and the the opposition.

“No one would deny they want a better Malawi,” Mkaka said.

He said it’s a big leap to say MCP members discussing about Malawi woes they’re planning to make a serious threat against anyone.

“The whole thing is ridiculous.”

Mkaka said the arrests are clearly being driven by a political agenda to “instil fear in people.”

MCP called the arrest and sedition charges as “outrageous .”

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79 replies on “Kabwila charged with ‘treason’, bail granted: Malawi WhatsApp coup plot”

  1. Piter ali boo! Amcp alibe nfundo koma kutukwana ngti chakwela anaba ndalamazampigo nkupeza ndalamazakampeni sikuti azitukwanila asofoleli olamla iothawiyaosinafike

  3. Great care should be taken by the Govt because it might be those planning to overthrow this current leadership as per story is saying are deliberately doing these knowingly that once arrested they will find their way to mobilize many in against that.This can bring something sour to every nation that are evolved in that.

    Oh! money is good indeed by sometimes is the root of all evils.If there was no packages in leadind the country,only few people would have accepted the responsibility but many could been saying “musiyesi azilamulirabe zaulelezo”.

    Ngat zili zopeka kuwanamizila anthuwa kuti ali ndi maganizo oterowa then its bad zoterozi sizingathandize malawi kupta patsogolo.

    Ngat ndizowona it’s a shame.We can sometimes achieve that for our personal gains but we can loose more that what we have achieved.Example July 20 demos… what have we learnt? why date of 20 chosen for demos…yet 20 people lost their lives? See the number 20-20 what’s that?Ndinsembe kapena?

    ndeyeno!kuyankhula mofuna kuthandiza mtundu wako sikulakwa koma mkulakwa kunyoza ndikusafunila mnzanu zabwino.

    No room for crooked one’s to be our leaders through the back door.Let’s we deal with the root that has engulfed our economy first rather pointing out fingers one another.This will take us no where. Chaos in Malawi not permitted.

  4. Muntharika has very bad advisers who just worsen his chance to even rule the nation. If these so called spys take a mini bus they willhear how people talk about Peter and his governmnent. Whatsupp is not a place to make a plot. Its a shame for law professor not to know this. One wonder what law did he learn. The more DDP is intimaditing oppositions the more un popular rheir party is becoming. They are just increasing votes and popularity to MCP. They have the reason to fear. Not many Malawians will vote for DDP. Now Mbendera should see what he brought to Malawi. I hope he sleeps well. In fact he first bullet should put into head of Mbendera. He is stupid. Malawi to day could hace aid if it was not for him.

  5. Is malawi rearly ademocratic country?Nanga bwanj akumanga anthu chifukwa cha chilungamo chomwe akuyankhula.Paja chikungamodi chimawawa.

  6. This shows DDP failure to rule the nation. The teuth Majority of Malawians are talking of put APM/DDP down. There is no secret. The good party the internation are suporting with no aid APM is alrady down. He might not accept the fact that he has no suport of Malawians. He knew hat no Malawians wanted him. Its his brother who was pushing people without his brother he is nothing. Why can he not just see that aid is withdrawn because of him not PP cash gate. He critised MCP during Banda but what is he doung himsef? He and his brother ran away during Banda why? He is afriad of MCP the party he stole votes from. He knows he stands no chance to win 2019 znd he will nt steal this time. And what Kabwila is saying is true. They can be the same like Egypt 2019. People are so angry and tired of un popular self enforced leader. The worst of this kind in Malawi. Just step down mr michna prof.

  8. Mbuzi zimenezi nthawi ya Kamuzu bwenzi titadzipereka ku ng’ona pano titadziiwala. Chakwera Chakweranso nchaiani? Si uja amatimba za ma tithe ku assembles of God malawi ameneyu. Wangosauka koma upulezidenti sadzaununkha come 2019 akudziwanso nchifukwa akufuna kusokoneza ndi hule la syphilis ili laphumali.

  13. Komanso amalawi kupepera inu osaichosa mbuziyi bwanji pano taona m’mene zinthu zilili nde afitike 2019 hehe malawi asanduka masanza

  16. Can Malawians of good mental standing act. You mean you can allow Peter to entrench himself like this when millions of fellow citizens are suffering? Where did those men who fought Kamuzu go? Does this mean they were the only strong ones in the country? Shame!

  18. Hiding in embassies kuthawa kumangidwa? and u call urself fighters for the poor? u hav brought contempt to urselves and MCP. Fools! Monkey hearted!

  20. Jessie Kabwila makes Joyce Banda look like a whimp. Leaders need to be fearless. More respect to you Jessie, more power to you.

  22. Country without war become too dull. Malawi is on verge of war in 10 yrs time as tribes identifications are unfolding. Kumuzu made Malawi as one nation with one tribe. Tribalism is surfacing to dangerous direction .

  24. His Excellence the Life President Wolemekedzeka Mkango Lion Chivomerezi Chisokonezo Artillery Missile Manthakanjenjemereza says:

    In Malawi we always have false treason cases which even the current president, Cassim Chilumpha and army brigadier generals have been victims. But when the real treason comes, it wont be a joke. Otherwise change the trend pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese.

  25. Kabwila woyeee! Chakhwantha woyeee! Msungama woyeee! MCP woyeee! democracy woyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! Gondwa fwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

  27. Gondwa should not play the clever boy, kunali anzake kunja kuno who also had a loud mouth like him, even louder than him, where are they today? What he should know is that timre is nigh because God is the one who put brakes to any nosense that befalls His people. I say fire, fire, fire, fire will soon descend and turn these into charcoal.

  29. Arrest them please. They should not get to power through the back door. MCP nde chiyani. Not in the 21st centuary. Amangidwe basi if they have broken the law. No mercy!

  31. CHAMBE I UNDERSTAND YOUR OUTBUSTS BUT DPP RIGGED THE ELECTIONS FROM MCP FOR IT TO BE WHERE IT IS. IF YOU UNDERSTAND THAT, YOU WILL ALSO APPRECIATE HOW PAINFUL IT CAN BE TO HAVE A GOVT WHICH IS FAILING TO MANAGE THE AFFAIRS OF THE STATE AND YET IT GOT THERE BY CROOKED MEANS!

  32. Well done the Police continue pouncing on them. No body is above the law or owning this country and freedom of speech has limitations. Being volatile on anything pretending as you know everything then the cluelessness which they have been awaiting to end had ended on them, kapena pali mau? Why hiding at the embassy if they know that they are perfect? This government was legitimately put in place by the electorate now disregarding them is tantamount to treason hence the arrests nothing sinister here.

  33. This is the same rubbish that we voted against in 1994. Where were you people? We voted for democracy and pluralism where we have freedom of speech, association, name it. Dzanja lalemba. We need answers to the economic woes we are going through not this crap of intimidating opposition members. Give us permanent solutions to the high inflation rate, depreciating Kwacha, high insecurity, food shortage, oh I have ran out of space….

  35. All said, those in government always do not accept that things are going nose diving. They always defend themselves as if they are gods which dont make mistakes. If people voice out the truth or wish to enlighten the masses to see the writting on the wall, they will try all they can to surpress the opposite thinking.

    Here we are talking the truth about Government failure, but for real, no minister can accept these realities. But God is the best judge for us.

  36. Planning demos with evil intent, like what happened with Mubarak is not wrong? What kind of freedom of expression is this one ? Jail them all

  40. @ Chambe, a point of correction. Gwanda Chakwamba did not serve 22 years in jail. He served 13. Ask him. He’s still alive.

  41. Those for this govt u are very very inhumane mwamva? You are starting a loosing battle and you are stupid. Are we slaves that we should not talk? Fix the problems we are facing not this bullshit tamvana? Ndisamvenso zimenezi

  45. Treason involves conspiring with another country against one’s own and as such is not a bailable charge. For actions described here, the charge should be seditious libel.

  48. All of you who are saying its wrong to arrest this feminist woman,face the fact.Has she broken the law or not?”NO ONE IS OR SHOULD BE ABOVE THE LAW”everyone should be treated equally in the face of the law.Not only when it suits someone or a certain group of pple.

  52. Kodi paja zikayamba chontchi zimatha bwanji? Bwinotu kodi mwapezelatu kobisala.oookey inuso inuu inu inu iiiii mwaonjezatu inu. Kaya.

  53. Many Malawians are very dull. Guys am not a,politician but even I was the state president I wouldn’t have tolerated such nonsense. I am,wondering why people are disregarding the fact that these dudes were discussing to overthrow legally elected government. Of it was MCP ruling you mean they would tolerate Dausi plotting overthrowing Chakwera?? Lets not be hypocrites I believe they would have reacted much more than what DPP has done. This is a serious issue. I feel pitty for people like Jessie who seem to have academic papers but her head is totally empty. You are a parliamentarian and you have a legal means of changing Malawi yet you engange yourself in such stupid and immature politics. I supported you when you won the parliamentary seat because I thought we will have wiser opposition who would give us a balance in parliament hut alas you are such a fool.

  56. No no no no Lamulo ndi Lamulo enafe tikumangidwa ku zomba kuno bwanji simukunena kuti Govt is busy fighting people.Lamulo siliwona njala amwene.wolakwa afufuzidwe amangidwe basi.Who jessie after all.munthu wofuna chisokonezo basi.Njoka yofatsa yimalumanso nde yikunjenjetulani basi.Phd yanu musiya pakhomo.wophunzira ndinu nokha.forsake zanu.Pakamwa mkazi iwe unakhala bwanji.tchupiti.Mulira muona chiyambi chimenecho.

  57. Amathawa chani if she in6nocent.osamaziyamba dala zinazi u educated fools.mufuna kutchuka?…Muvulala nazo.

  58. LETTER TO ALL OPPOSITION MP’s
    We the citizens of this country give you the following mandate
    IMPEACH IN PARLIAMENT THIS GOUVETNMENT OF COCKROACHES

  59. This is so pathetic, there are real issues they want us to lose focus on. Looming hunger, OPC payment that was in the papers , drug shortages etc. You arrest people for whatsapp conversation ? do you think people can plot a crime on whatsapp group ? who teaches these police men at the academy should be dumb as as well

  60. Kugwetsa boma kudzera whatsapp hahahahahahaha….the arrest are meant to divert pples attenion from the myraid failures of the mighty Diphiphi…hahahahahahahaha

  61. The begining of the end of DPP,believe it or not…apolisi anamugwetsa JB…these arrest r ment to mek APM unpopular.

  62. Mr president and his adminstration has failed us but we are a nation governed by laws, peace is Paramount above everything else, if this is true, arrest them, & let them not fool us, they can never allow their children to protest in the streets, they will send us, to fight for their wealth, to be killed for their prosperity.

  63. The Government is busy fighting people from political to religious, why not focusing on eradicating the current massive hunger? be wise please!!!!!!!!

  64. There is no Treason here. Peter was the one who was charged for treason. He has seen Joice Banda is coming and want revengeon MCP. Wagwa nayo ngati pali munthu anthu amene adzavutike moyo wake kapena kukafela ku ndende ndiye Peter. Munthu wovetsa chisoni ngati Peter sindidamuone. Mwapanga chani m’Malawi muno a DPP. Zonse zimene za Kamuzu Banda.

  65. A PhD holder; a member of the legislature who says treason laws are archaic. If you thought they are archaic and do not apply yet they still exist on the penal code then you have the highest error of judgement. As a PhD holder and a member of the legislature, you have failed to draw a thin line for the limitation of freedom of speech. Surely to discuss plans and actions on a whattsup to stage demonstrations that would be like those of Egypt aimed at forcing the government to step down tantamount to coup plot by mob. Which government would tolerate that especially that you have been calling APM to step down all along with your cohorts? Didn’t the same party of yours that sent Chakuamba to prison and served 22 years for uttering sedition? Didn’t you then realize that the law is still active and that if you needed a full freedom of speech, you could have fought hard right there in Parliament where you belong to have ensured it gets struck off?
    Lero ndi izi. Boma ndi Boma, osalidelera.Ndi angati munaphetsa pa 20 July 2011? Mumafuna kuphetsanso wena for your selfish agendas?

    1. Nanunso inu,, pa 20 july anthu anafa kamba ka boma la dpp osat mcp,,, komanso ndi ufulu kupanga ma demo,,,, mukadya bwino m’bomamu eti?

  66. This is a joke of a govt. I feel for the proffesional police officers who are pushed to do silly jokes of arresting people for nothing at all. What is wrong in pushing for maize in Admarc depots and drugs in hospitals? I am seeing a sense of cluelessness here and wastage of energy on matters that will not bring food on Malawian tables. I am sorry to say that this is retrogressiveness of the executive that seems not to know the direction it has taken. Those who said ‘the more things change the more they remain the same’ knew what they were saying. This DPP govt has failed to meet even 10% of my expectation and is worse off than the JB govt. What is more treasonous between the mid night six and the whatsapp message? Let us be serious guys. I see potential thinkers in govt but what we are getting is completely a raw deal.

  67. CIRMS equipment at MACRA is working at full throttle. State security is not anything to toy and fool around with. You are literally playing with the lives of millions of Malawians who could be affected by civil strife. Talking about or suggesting rebellious actions against a legally constituted authority is no laughing matter. These MCP politicians were very foolish discussing such sensitive matters over social media. Its disgusting to think these are the same people that want to lead us yet they can conduct themselves in such a bizzare manner. All the evidence is with MACRA in digital form and they will have to answer to these allegations in a court of law. Like the US and UK or any other sovereign state, Malawi has a right to defend national security even if it means eavesdropping on its citizens. Kabwila kuthawaku chilipo chomwe akudzikwa. The guilty are afraid. If she had nothing to do with it she should have just stay put and await the authorities to confront her on the charges. There is no political persecution here. Opposition politicians should conduct themselves in a manner that does not call them into disrepute. If they want to rule Malawi let them subject themselves to elections in 2019 osati zawozi zama short-cuts zofuna kuwukila boma. That is totally unacceptable and the law should deal with them. Period.

  69. A CHA GWA M’MBALE GO BACK TO SCHOOL TO LEARN ‘SPELLINGS’, A SINGLE CAN WORLD CAN CHANGE THE MEANING OF A WHOLE ESSAY, ‘FREE IS DIFFERENT FROM FLEE’!! CLEARLY SHOWS YOU’RE THE BAKILI TYPE OF ACADEMIC GRADUATES!!

    WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND, MMAYAMBA NKHUTU KU GONTHA MUNTHU ASANAFE!!!

  70. Mwatiputa dala a DPP chipani chakuba chaononga dziko lokoma lija njala ponseponse pano simunamenye nawo nkhondo ya democracy muli matchona mufufuna muzitimanga

  71. A Chakwantha mantha. Tulukani uko anzanu a kuwapatsa ma bail. Milandu yanu will end like Chilumpha, chimbayo, Aironi and others. You remember some one was accused of overthrowing Government with panga. This is Malawi
    Ap Boma likuziyalutsa. Mukulephera kumaliza cash gate cases now you add these. Do you think Dpp Mary Kachale will handle this ? This is the start of the downfall of this coward Government. Paja TB Joshua uja analosera if a ya Bingu anti February to April kuli Mavuto ku Southern Africa or one President. It is you Peter or Zuma

  74. What fucken treason case they are talking about? Bail for treason? Mayiii! Babooo! That’s marks the end of Pitala and his fucken DPP gorvenment, Owukira Boma amapatsidwa Belo? Ng’oooooo! Don’t think Malawians are stupid, Dr Jessie Kabwira, Keep the fire burning, Malawians are behind you, Kabwira yemweyo kuti wa!wa!wa!

  75. kodi aboma inu internet mumaiziwa ? have you ever seen bin laden,boko haramu and and the other terrorist using internet to pass information?kkkkkk our security inteligent has no clue hahahahaha kuganiza mwachikalekale kumeneko

  76. So she was running away and wanted to seek refuge at Germany Embassy! What wrong has he committed for her to run?
    Proverbs 28:1 the wicked free when no man pursueth but the righteous are bold as a lion. Let her face the law matama too much. She wanted bold young people to start riots but herself is not bold enough to stand the heat of her own conversation.

  77. mwatosa mkango ukuyang’ana. Mwatokosa njuchi masana kusanade. You will live to regret what you have done. You only need God’s grace to drive this country called Malawi and not public sympathy.

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