Police detaining 3 teen boys for MEC break-in

Police have revealed that they are keeping in custody three  teenagers arrested this week in connection with a break-in at Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) regional offices at Area 3 in Lilongwe.

National Police spokesperson James Kadadzera said the first of the three suspects was arrested on Thursday in Lilongwe’s Area 9 based on CCTV footage.

He identified the suspects as follows; Jackson Batani aged 17 from T/A Kaphuka area in Dedza, Frank Masenda (15yrs) from T/A Nsabwe in Thyolo and Manuel Mazoni from T/A Chakhaza in Dowa.

Kadadzera said the other two suspects were arrested following information gathered from the first suspect.

“Our officers are getting more from the suspects to place proper criminal charges against them” , he said.

Police earlier arrested two of its officers and two guards  who were on duty during when the incident happened at MEC offices.

Kadadzera said Police were interested to “questioning the officers  and the guards over the matter.”

Vice-President Saulos Chilima, who is also UTM Party torchbearer in the May 21 Tripartite Elections, claimed at a rally in Chitipa on Wednesday that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) broke into the offices and stole some CCTV cameras, an allegation DPP officials have denied.

But MEC and police said no cameras or any item were stolen  from the office.

During the Chitipa rally, Chilima also accused the DPP of having been behind the burning of MEC offices in 2014, following Malawi Congress Party’s (MCP) protest of results, specifically naming Nicholous Dausi the DPP spokesman as the one who led the ‘arson’.

Commentators say the  break-in and theft at MEC offices in Area 3 in Lilongwe points to a trend about the malfeseance regarding elections in the country. Every time, there is a dispute over elections, some ignoble things happen either in the form of arson or theft of election-related equipment.

In May 2014, MEC declared DPP’s Bently Namasasu winner of the parliamentary poll in Lilongwe City South East constituency, beating his MCP rival Ulemu Msungama by a difference of 102 votes. Msungama challenged the results in court and in July 2014, ruled that there should be a recount of the votes.

DPP immediately sought an injunction restraining MEC from carrying out the recount. Two days before the High Court was set to hear the case, fire gutted the whole warehouse which was keeping all ballot papers-including those from the disputed constituency-and polling equipment and cameras some of it borrowed from Zimbabwe.

Both MEC and MCP said they suspected arson. A few months later, because the ballot papers were burnt, the High Court ordered for a re-run in Lilongwe City South East constituency. Msungama’s victory of the election was a confirmation that the earlier poll was rigged. It also further strengthened the reason the resistance by DPP or its agencies for a re-run in the constituency.

And now five years down the line, MEC has not been given any detailed report of the fire, according MEC director of media and public relations Sangwani Mwafulirwa. In short, the Police has never carried out any investigation into the fire.

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