Thodi appointed new Malawi chief spy replacing Dausi
President Peter Mutharika has picked a former police officer, Elvis Thodi, a highly skilled and experienced security connoisseur, as the chief of the country’s spy agency, Nyasa Times can exclusively reveal.
Mutharika appointed Malawi Revenue Authority’s (MRA) head of administration and former Chief Immigration Officer, Thodi, to replace verbose Nicholas Dausi, who has since been appointed as Information and communication technology Minister, as the new head of National Intelligence Service (NIS) formerly National Intelligence Bureau (NIB)
Government sources have confirmed that Mutharika has behind closed doors hired Thodi to take care of state intelligence.
Impeccable sources at Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) have also confirmed that President Mutharika in exercise of the powers conferred upon him by Section 111 Sub-Section (2) of the Constitution of the Republic of Malawi has allotted the former Police Commissioner and director of research at the National Police Headquarters to be the new spy chief.
“We have been informed of Mr. Thodi’s appointment as the new director of the National Intelligence Service,” said the source.
Added the OPC source: “The appointment is with immediate effect and Mr. Thodi has already swung into full action at the state intelligence agency.”
Thodi was getting a handover at his new office the whole of the Friday afternoon.
Recently, the Malawian leader appointed Dausi into his cabinet to take over the mantle at the troubled information ministry to replace Reverend Malison Ndau who a couple of days ago hit the headlines for taking on leader of opposition, Dr. Lazarus Chakwera.
Thodi was among the first university graduates to be enlisted into the then Malawi Police Force (MPF) and he alongside the likes of (fellow first graduates) former Inspector Generals; Loti Dzonzi and Oliver Kumbambe, former Deputy Police Chief, Doreen Mwalwanda, Police Commissioners, George Kainja and Duncan Mwapasa among others were directly involved in reforming the Malawi Police Force into a people-centred service with the help from the British police.
Thodi started his journey as a security professional at Police Training School (PTS) as a ‘Police Recruit’ after finishing his studies at the University of Malawi’s constituent college, Chancellor College in Zomba.
After ‘passing out’ from PTS, young Thodi’s hard work, dedication to duty and determination coupled with his university education helped him climbing the ladder of the police’s rank and file and rose to the top and was appointed the commissioner of police.
Thodi served as director of research and development in the Malawi Police and was based at the National Police Headquarters at Area 30 in Lilongwe. He was the focal point of the Malawi Police Reform Program.
Later, Thodi was appointed as the Chief Immigration Officer before being relocated to Malawi Revenue Authority as the head of administration.
‘Sanity’
UK-based Malawian Law expert and political and social commentator, Mfundisi Sunduzwayo Madise in an interview with Nyasa Times said Thodi’s appointment as the new head of the country’s intelligence agency, if it is true, then sanity has returned to the national intelligence outfit for at last a right person has been chosen for the job which for long has been in the wrong ‘hands.’
“If this is indeed true then I applaud the president for this appointment. I personally know Elvis Thodi as I was with him as a student at Chancellor College and I have seen him growing as a police officer and later saw him serving as a chief immigration officer. He is, without doubt, the best candidate for the position because he is an expert in security matters,” said Madise.
Madise added that state intelligence is very critical to how the country is run, and by appointing a professional person to head the intelligence unit is way much better than just appointing people for the sake of it.
“As an expert in security matters, (Elvis) Thodi will be able to tell which information is vital to feed the president and which information is chaff and therefore needs to be chucked into the bin,” said Madise.
Added Madise: “For a long time, our leaders have been fed and misled with lies, half-truths and denigration as intelligence and this is very dangerous. It is good that finally someone qualified is appointed to do the job they know.”
In the recent past, the country’s Intelligence agency have been headed by people with no security and intelligence background but merely on political bootlicking.
Nicholas Dausi was appointed as the chief spy as an appeasement after he lost his parliamentary seat in the last elections and that meant that he could not be made a cabinet minister at that time as the ruling DPP needed numbers in the august house.
Dausi replaced another ‘political douche-bag,’ Binton Kutsaila, who was also appointed to the post as an appeasement for his blind loyalty, as a top state mole.
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Thodi maybe the right pick but i have worked very closely with him, he is a very corrupt person and a womanizer. Such personalities are not fit for such positions unless Malawi is a Hollywood movie.
I am a real tumbuka from Karonga. Not even ngoni from Mzimba. My take is that if Thodi is qualified let’s not politicise or tribalise matters. We will not progress.
Thodi was indeed in the first group of graduates recruited by late IG Lunguzi which included thodi, kumbambe, doreen mwalwanda, tumalisye ndovi among others….Dzonzi was not on this group, he was already a policeman teaching at police secondary school at that time alongside former DIG Edgar saiwa….Gustave Kaliwo was recruited on his own though….thodi is a good pick, better than the senseless Dausi appointment. Although Rodney Jose or Paul kanyama would be a better choices because they are former SIS officers, and Jose was trained as a trainer by the CIA….
kodi anthu a kumpoto mukufunamaudindo mutenge 50% ufiti chani? muliko ANGATI KUMPOTOKO KUTI MUZILIRALIRA NGATI ANA? MBUZI ZA ANTHU, Put your house inorder first then start complaining about nepotism, Goodall Gondwe has been a finance minister for almost 3 governments but what did he do as a northerner for you? yo#u are extremely tribalistic akanganya inu ndipo to be honest with you you ll always cry until Jesus comes if he will really indeed come, apo bi, muzingokanda machende choncho, no chance will be given to a northerner, trust me, you have been proven to be the most selfish tribes in Malawi, let me remind u, there was Chakufwa Chihana, Aleke Banda, Khumbo kachali, uyu speakeryu Msowoya, Wakuda Kamanga, etc in key positions, what did they do? nothing, now there’s Goodall Gondwe and company from the north but what are these northern dunderheads doing for you? nothing, so why blaming peter for your own stupidness? you have proven to be the foolish, selfish concentrated dunderheads among Malawians internationally, inu ndi zinyama basi!!!
Just write in Chichewa. Your English is horrible and so is your argument. You are less informed and your line of thinking is nothing short of a savage. It will probably take you a lifetime to understand that it’s not about atumbuka or northerners but Malawi.
you are more than a fool yourself a good for nothing person.simunati tikanabwerabe kwanuko kuzakutengani muzikatilimila mu ma estate athu while ife tili phee mkalasi kuphunzira.unditumizire number yako ubwere ndi ana ako azalime ku estate kwanga.
This is no sense.what kind of President iz this? Just wasting money for nothing
Even Dr Hastings banda was appointing some people from kasungu in various critical position. Talk people like Mr ngwata from nkhamenya,,,,,inspector general of police,katola PHIRI regional minister for centre, Aron gadama regional minister centre,three reserve bank governors were succeedingly from centre I.e TEMBO,chaziya, chimango, so when you are a president,, you are not restricted to choose people who will help you to achieve your goal,,,,,,no matter where they come from.
asatana anthu ansanje…agalu if Thodi is a malawian no problem and if khumbo is a malawian no problem why zinthu zikachitika kufufu kumene munthu akuchokera……it is a sign that you are all jealousy full of sankho you cannot develop…..if someone is appointed just look at his education and performance……agulu inu nsanjezo simutukukatu AMAlaWI………Am anortherner wina ati nfwiiiiii andinva mukasambe lisilo lanu lansanjelo……ask yourselves how obama is big man in a country where his history is connected to slave trade….zopusabasi
Tonse Ndife aMalawi tiyeni tikondane ndikudzala chikondi pakati panthu..
Is that so? Quote my silence.
A thodiwa amachokeradi kwa chonde pafupi ndi chipatala cha chonde, WHICH IS NOT VERY FAR TO THE BIG BWANA’S HOME AREA
A lomwe kupatsana mipando. Mukanthidwa!!!!
Congrats bwana Thodi
Where is he coming from?
he is a bona fide Malawian. Where he comes from, has no relevance or bearing.
Congratulations Elvis Thodi. You deserve the post.
Mulakho, or no Mulakho. Thodi is the best man for the job. God bless.
Anthu anzeru/ophunzira ndi a lomwe basi. Misonkho yathu azingodya ndi anthu a kumwela, a Lomwe ndi a Yao. A bwana a Mutharika mulibe or manyazi, you think this is normal? Nepotism will take this country no where.
The worst appointment in our history. He is childish and full of vandetta and very tribalistic. He is the one who sold citizenship to Rwandese and Burundians. All his enemies in govt must fear their safety. As for fucking be rest assured women at NIB and everywhere else will be fucked GOOD. I thought Madise was knowledgeable alas i was wrong being a police officer doesnt mean you are also a good intelligence officer. Only ghose who were in SIS can handle intelligence work competently. Thodi is worse than Dausi just wait and see.
Nepotism at work. Iwe pitara watikwana heavy. Watiwonjeza heavy mxiiiii. Every appointment mulhakho or people from the south mxiiiiiiiiii
cash gate in malawi started long time ago.we used to eat money during muluzi,bingu u name them
It is said you can’t keep a good man (or woman) down … for a long time. It’s redemption time for Mr Thodi; and may be “resurrection” in the professional sense too.
It was in July, 2012 when the un-elected President Joisi Banda set out to humiliate Thodi, by ambushing him in an unorthodox meeting. The meeting, with the agenda hidden from him, lasted some three hours; and some of his subordinates at work really went to town, accusing him of nepotism, disrespect, and even sexual advances. … and a lot more and worse.
This was in a meeting with the President who should have been taking care of more important files, in stead of transferring them files into foreign hands. Who would think foreigners can look after our interests?
And Kachale was at this meeting too; giving manly support (typical Malawian thinking) to Joisi Banda.
And so, that Northern Government, disguised as PP, continued to show its nepotism. Aim: to purge the government of the top guns who had been appointed by Bingu. Apparently,
being appointed by Bingu, was a cardinal sin in their bible. As every appointee was a Muhlakho. Wrong, wrong and wrong.
And the sacking of senior staff, determined by the Courts to be unjustified, cost us a lot of money in compensations. That is on top of Cashgate – PP’s signature for existence.
Since then, through other actions, PP have only cemented their reputation as a regional, Northern party. They can’t shake that label; and they can’t win anything politically significant in this country.
Welcome back Mr Thodi, the new intelligence chief.
You are sick and a big liar, my friend.
PP, as we all know, was full of late Bingu hench cronies who were masters of chashgate from an earlier Thyolo-led regime.
Dont cook up your nepotism blame on the North. Leave the peaceful North alone.
You have brought and bring more problems to malawians with your Mutharika hopeless boys.
We still recall kusowa kwa mafuta, forex, and now electricity, maize, etc.
We also recall big and huge statches of foreign curreny found at State House locked by late Bingu. And Callista and her step daughters were openly fighting for that cash.
Tamachitani manyazi a Malawi.
Never distort the facts as they happened.
Well then… I think northerners are also very trabalistic umboni uli mu civil service.. NGOs and private companies. Having said that I would also like to add that Southerners and Central guys are also Nepotistic. So we are all nepotistic. We all have to stop this!
“malawian”:
I am NOT sick, nor am I lying. I stand by statements, and I don’t make up news. And, I doubt if we can be friends (as you call me) after all that name calling!
About the meeting and the poisoned atmosphere: that is a FACT. And the days’ media even reported on it. Any one, including you, can check the archives. Are you a “denier” of facts, or you forget them facts when they do not suit your narrative?
I am NOT a card carrying member of DPP, or any Party for that matter. Notwithstanding, I take a firm stand on ignorant behavior as that was exhibited by Joisi Banda during her whole tenure.
What you have written about theft and corruption during Bingu’s era, may be correct. But no facts are deposited in a court of law. Until then, anything related to that is only hearsay. And that’s not my fodder.
He is from Chonde, Mulanje. Nepotism at its highest order
Nepotism or no nepotism, Elvis Thodi is good for the job. Any sane president after APM would allow Elvis to continue as chief spy in his/her administration. Bravo APM for choosing on merit!
Who told you that Mulanje people should not be appointed into public positions.?Very stupid thinking.