MBS Under Fire: HRDC Slams ‘Gross Negligence’ in Protecting Malawians
The Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) has unleashed a blistering attack on the Malawi Bureau of Standards (MBS) for what it calls “blatant negligence” and a “betrayal of public trust.” The HRDC is demanding immediate accountability from an institution that has failed to deliver on its mandate of protecting Malawians from harmful and substandard products.
This condemnation comes in the wake of shocking discoveries of expired, uncertified, and unhygienic goods being sold in prominent retail outlets such as ShopRite, Ekhaya, and Sana, which were recently closed due to gross violations of consumer safety standards. The fact that such malpractice has persisted undetected for so long is a damning indictment of the MBS’s incompetence.
The HRDC has accused the MBS of complacency in enforcing routine inspections, leaving millions of unsuspecting Malawians at risk of consuming harmful products. Even more damning is the selective enforcement of inspections, which appears to target high-profile outlets in urban areas, while countless shops in rural areas—where the majority of Malawians shop—are left unchecked.
“This is an outright abdication of duty,” said HRDC Executive Director Gift Trapence. “The MBS’s failure to safeguard public health has endangered lives, and the recent revelations are just the tip of the iceberg. How many more people must suffer before the MBS does its job?”
The HRDC has demanded sweeping reforms to address the bureau’s failures. Among the demands are:
- Immediate strengthening of market surveillance operations, including unannounced inspections targeting both urban and rural areas.
- Swift prosecution of businesses caught selling expired or uncertified goods.
- Revocation of trading licenses for repeat offenders.
- Internal investigations within the MBS to identify officers complicit in enabling these unethical practices.
Trapence has also called on Malawians to join the fight by boycotting businesses that sell expired products and reporting any suspicious activities. “Public health is non-negotiable,” he declared, urging collective action to hold both businesses and the MBS accountable.
The HRDC’s scathing rebuke highlights the MBS’s crumbling credibility, with accusations of corruption and incompetence tarnishing its reputation. It’s a shameful scenario for an institution tasked with ensuring that products sold in Malawi meet basic safety and quality standards.
“The time for excuses is over,” said Trapence. “MBS, act now, enforce the law, and prove that you are capable of protecting Malawians. Failure to do so will only confirm what many already believe: that the MBS is nothing more than a toothless institution, incapable of fulfilling its core mandate.”
This is not just a wake-up call for the MBS—it’s a call for survival. With public trust in freefall and lives at stake, the bureau must act swiftly and decisively to restore credibility and protect Malawians from further exploitation. The nation is watching, and the MBS cannot afford to fail again.