Prison service put to task over food, inmate welfare, spending

Questions are mounting over the conditions, food quality, inmate welfare and spending at Maula Prison, with authorities now facing demands to account for how the facility is being managed.

The Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI) has demanded answers from the Malawi Prisons Service on the issues, including the prison’s capacity, inmate population, food supplies, water system and expenditure.

CDEDI Executive Director Sylvester Namiwa raised the concerns during a press briefing in Lilongwe on Wednesday, where he read out a letter addressed to the Commissioner General of Prisons.

The organization is seeking information on the total holding capacity of Lilongwe Prison and the number of prisoners and remandees as at August 23, 2026.

It also wants authorities to explain what constitutes a meal at the prison and provide the names of doctors who visit the facility, together with documentary evidence of their advice on the quality and quantity of food served to inmates.

CDEDI is further demanding the publication of suppliers of maize, beans and cowpeas, as well as documents showing how the suppliers were identified.

“Make public the list of suppliers of Maize, Beans and Cowpeas plus documentary evidence as to how they were identified?” Namiwa questioned. “Since the prison has a maize mill only, who supplies maize bran (gaga) mirrored through the dull colour of the nsima consumed at the prison?”

CDEDI furthrr wants the Prisons Service to disclose suppliers of soap, blankets, lighting bulbs and plumbing services, including details of how they are paid.

It is also seeking information on how often prisoners and remandees receive soap and blankets and has questioned the disappearance of taps from the prison’s sanitary facilities.

It is further demanding an update on the prison’s water supply back-up system, particularly the status of plastic tanks observed at the facility.

On inmate welfare, CDEDI wants the Prisons Service to disclose how many prisoners were released under Section 120 of the Prisons Act of 2025 between January and August 22, 2026, and how many died during the same period.

The organization also wants to know how much has accumulated in the Prison Labour Fund and how many prisoners have so far been released on parole.

CDEDI is further demanding details of how much the prison spent on porridge between January and August 22, 2026.

Namiwa said prisons should be correctional facilities designed to rehabilitate and reintegrate inmates into society rather than concentration centres or camps.

CDEDI has given the Prisons Service 14 working days to provide the requested information.

The letter was copied to the Officer-in-Charge of Lilongwe Prison, the Malawi Human Rights Commission, the Ombudsman and the Minister of Homeland Security.