SHOCKING! No Single Political Party Has Declared Its Source of Campaign Funds Till Now

Malawi’s political parties are once again playing monkey business with democracy. With just weeks to the September 16 General Election, not a single party has declared the source of its campaign funds—a clear violation of the Political Parties Act (2018), which compels them to disclose any donation above K1 million.

Registrar of Political Parties, Kizito Tenthani, admitted that despite the law being in place, his office has received zero declarations since the campaign period opened on July 14. Yet billboards are mushrooming, convoys are moving, helicopters are flying, and rallies are flooded with branded regalia. Where is this money coming from? Clearly, the parties are taking Malawians for fools.

This is not an isolated case—it’s a pattern. The Malawi Law Society has, since 2021, pushed for transparency in party financing, even going to court after the registrar failed to provide answers about the 2019 and 2020 elections. Still, parties continue to fundraise in the shadows. MCP shrugs and says “supporters are many, hard to count.” UTM dodges questions, PDP claims it’s still “waiting for a formal request,” UDF makes promises and keeps quiet, while DPP disappears when asked. Even smaller parties like PP have dragged their feet. In truth, they are all complicit in breaking the law.

Civil society warns that this secrecy is not harmless bookkeeping—it is a serious threat to democracy. Without transparency, parties can be bankrolled by corrupt cartels, foreign interests, or even criminal networks, while citizens remain in the dark. As analyst George Chaima bluntly put it: “Our parties operate under a wrap when it comes to finances. This is incompetence and a lack of accountability.”

The truth? Every political party in Malawi benefits from this silence. They all know that if the truth about their financiers were laid bare, the public would see who really owns our politics. Until then, laws will be ignored, money will flow unchecked, and Malawians will continue voting in elections rigged not by ballots, but by bank accounts.

 

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