About K4 billion collected from nomination fees during the September 16, 2025 general elections is sitting idle in bank accounts, raising serious questions about how election funds are managed in Malawi.
Officials from the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) told Parliament that the money cannot be used unless the commission first seeks approval from the Treasury, as required under the Public Finance Management Act.
The revelation was made when MEC officials appeared before Parliament's Commissions, Statutory Authorities and Public Appointments Cluster Committee.
During the meeting, committee co-chairperson Felix Njawala questioned why the electoral body continues to request additional government funding while billions of kwacha from previous elections remain untouched in bank accounts.
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MEC Finance Manager Duncan Jumbe explained that the commission collected more than K3 billion from presidential and parliamentary candidates, which is currently held in a dedicated bank account. He added that over K600 million was also collected from candidates who contested local government elections, bringing the total amount to about K4 billion.
Despite the large sum, Jumbe said none of the money has been used.
"We also collected more than K600 million from local government election candidates and this is kept in a separate account. The collected K4 billion is still in the bank accounts and has not been used," he told the committee.
Acting Deputy Chief Elections Officer Hastings Bota further clarified that although MEC collected the money during the elections, it does not actually belong to the commission.
According to Bota, the funds are considered government money and cannot be accessed without formal approval from the Treasury.
"The money belongs to the government. Currently, we have not approached Treasury regarding the use of the K4 billion," he said, without explaining why the commission has not taken steps to request the approval.
He also revealed that MEC had previously attempted to invest nomination fees through a financial services and investment company in order to generate returns, but the effort did not produce the expected results.
Because of that experience, Bota said the commission has decided to leave the money untouched in bank accounts until there is a clear need to use it and Treasury approval has been granted.
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However, the situation has raised concerns in Parliament, especially at a time when the electoral body is seeking additional funding from government.
Njawala said the committee will examine the matter further and produce a report on how the funds should be managed.
"The commission cannot use the funds. This is a problem because they are requesting additional resources while existing funds remain inaccessible under the law," Njawala said.
The situation highlights a broader structural problem in the way public institutions manage funds collected from elections. While the electoral body is sitting on billions of kwacha collected from candidates, it is still dependent on government allocations to finance its operations.
For the 2026-2027 financial year, the Treasury has allocated MEC a budget ceiling of K23 billion, but the commission is requesting a higher allocation, even as the K4 billion collected during the 2025 elections remains locked in bank accounts awaiting government approval.
