A full-blown institutional rebellion has erupted at the Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority (MERA), with the entire board resigning en masse and openly defying Parliament in a move that lays bare a deep crisis of governance, legality and political interference in one of the country’s most critical regulatory bodies. The dramatic walkout comes after the Public Appointments Committee (PAC) of Parliament summoned the MERA Board to appear today over allegations of incompetence, gross mismanagement and poor corporate governance. Instead of submitting to parliamentary scrutiny, the board members chose open confrontation — writing resignation letters to Chief Secretary to the Government Justin Saidi and refusing to attend the hearing.
The resignations, effective January 12, 2026, have thrown MERA into turmoil and raised serious questions about whether constitutional oversight mechanisms are being deliberately undermined. In their letters, the board members — led by chairperson Charles Kambauwa — accuse government of acting in bad faith and staging what they describe as a predetermined process. Kambauwa, who was appointed in April 2025, rejected claims of incompetence as “wholly unfounded” and said it was impossible for him to be responsible for alleged long-standing failures at the institution, having served only a few months before the September 16, 2025 General Election.
More damningly, he pointed to government’s own actions as proof that the process was a sham. “It is evident from the government’s own actions — specifically, the appointment of a new board prior to formally removing the current one — that the decision to replace the board had already been made,” Kambauwa wrote. In blunt language rarely seen in official correspondence, he said appearing before PAC would serve no purpose.
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“In order not to waste the committee’s time or my own, I hereby resign… Consequently, I will not be attending the scheduled hearing.” Other board members — Tobias Chinkhwangwa, John Gift Mwakhwawa, Olivia Mchanju Liwewe, Bernadette Kalumo, Kettie Mkandawire and MacCider Katulukira — followed suit, each distancing themselves from the allegations and effectively daring the system to act without them. PAC chairperson Felix Njawala confirmed that the committee had been asked by the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) to confirm the board’s removal on grounds of incompetence, citing mismanagement and poor governance. But the board’s mass resignation before facing PAC has turned the tables — shifting the spotlight from alleged incompetence to the integrity of the removal process itself. Njawala admitted yesterday that he had not yet been officially informed of the resignations, exposing worrying communication gaps in a matter of national importance.
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