Corruption is clipping our country

Corruption in Malawi is not a new term; it is an old monster that has taken deep root. Over the years, greed and systemic failure have turned public office into a tool for personal wealth instead of public service. From local administration to central government, corruption has grown so deep that many Malawians have come to regard it as a normal part of life. But should we remain silent while our nation bleeds?

The greed and abuse of public resources have repeatedly come at a heavy cost for innocent Malawians. Take the handling of the Covid-19 response funds. At a time when Malawians were dying, hospitals were grappling with oxygen shortages and protective equipment shortages, and health workers were risking their lives, resources meant to save lives were poorly managed and, in some cases, misused. There were reports of funds being siphoned at Capital Hill while ordinary Malawians struggled to access basic health services. Years on, those funds have still not been fully accounted for, leaving the painful impression that public resources can be abused while life goes on.

This culture of impunity must end. Another troubling example involves the Amaryllis Hotel and the Public Service Pension Fund. The dubious purchase of the Amaryllis Hotel using workers’ pension funds—retirees’ savings— highlights a gross betrayal: public servants spend decades serving the country, only for their life savings to be risked in questionable deals. How do we show zero care for the poor in this manner? Should the nation sit comfortably while public pensioners’ money is placed at risk? Those funds are not abstract numbers; they are the retirement savings of teachers, nurses, police officers and women and men in civil service who have given their lives in service. We cannot become a country where the poor are asked to sacrifice while those with access to public resources feast.

God must have mercy on us. The damage corruption does to national progress cannot be overstated. Funds meant for public services— medicine, schooling, water, energy—are abused, and Malawians pay the price: hospitals run dry of medicines, classrooms become open-air spaces, taps run dry, and daily power blackouts persist. Corruption directly starves development and gnaws away at our dignity as Malawians.

This is why we must fight corruption head-on, without party politics. Corruption does not care about your party, tribe, or status. When the nation bleeds, we all suffer, though the poor suffer most. Fighting corruption requires unity and an unyielding zeal for justice across party lines.

We must al so stop c e l e b r at i ng co r r up t individuals. Too often, we have defended and cheered for politicians and public figures who have stolen public money simply because they belong to our political party, tribe, or region. Defending corrupt leaders is a direct betrayal of the people who are suffering from these thefts. Beyond human justice, corruption is a grave sin in the eyes of God. Those who steal from the poor have no clean hands, and God’s judgment awaits those who build their lives on the suffering of others. Know that there is no heaven for the corrupt.

Know this: civil society must not sit on the sidelines. In the past, civil society was a vibrant voice for the people, holding those in power to account. Today, the sector appears increasingly polarised, with a few lone voices while many seem to be on a honeymoon. I wish civil society had stood in support of Bishop Martin Mtumbuka’s recent call to confront the rot bleeding Malawi dry. His message was not about attacking government or any political party; it was a call for the nation to confront failing public services, corruption, and weak institutions. Civil society cannot afford to remain in a honeymoon while bishops and other well-meaning Malawians speak for the people.

Fighting corruption, therefore, requires unity and an unyielding zeal for justice across political party lines.

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