A parliamentary probe into two of Malawi's most controversial public sector appointments has ended with a clean bill of health for the boards at the centre of the storm.
The Public Appointments Committee (PAC) of Parliament on Friday cleared the boards of the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) and the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) over the recruitment of their directors general, dismissing allegations that the appointments breached procedures or violated the law.
The decision follows weeks of mounting scrutiny surrounding the appointments of Brian Banda as MBC Director General and Mayamiko Nkoloma as MACRA Director General, appointments that sparked accusations of political influence, lack of transparency and procedural irregularities.
With public pressure growing, PAC summoned board members from both institutions to explain how the appointments were made and whether established recruitment procedures had been followed.
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But after grilling the boards behind closed doors, the parliamentary committee emerged with a verdict that effectively shields the two institutions from accusations of wrongdoing.
PAC Vice Chairperson Joshua Malango said the committee found no evidence that either board had broken the law during the recruitment process.
"The Communications Act of 2020 is silent on the recruitment process. It only says the board shall appoint and does not specify whether it should be through interviews or any other method. Having heard from them, we came to the conclusion that they did not flout any law or procedure," Malango said.
The ruling is likely to ignite fresh debate among critics who have questioned how the appointments were conducted.
Malango stressed that PAC's role was not to endorse or reject the appointments themselves but to establish whether the boards acted within the law.
"We, as a committee, only confirm the appointments of board members and not directors general. Our interest was in the process that was followed," he said.
The appointments have been among the most hotly contested in recent months, with critics alleging that recruitment procedures were bypassed in favour of predetermined outcomes.
The controversy surrounding Banda's appointment at MBC became particularly intense after United States-based Malawian Davie Mchinga formally petitioned the Office of the Ombudsman to investigate the process.
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In his complaint, Mchinga alleged that the position of Director General was never publicly advertised and that no formal interviews were conducted before the appointment was made.
The allegations fuelled speculation that the process may have been manipulated, triggering demands for accountability and transparency at the state broadcaster.
However, PAC's findings now appear to have handed the MBC and MACRA boards a major victory in the face of growing public criticism.
Despite the committee's clearance, the matter is far from over.
The Office of the Ombudsman is yet to release its findings on the complaint against MBC, meaning fresh questions could still emerge depending on the outcome of the independent investigation.
For now, however, Parliament's appointments watchdog has drawn a line under the controversy, concluding that while the appointments may have attracted public outrage and political suspicion, no law was broken in putting Brian Banda and Mayamiko Nkoloma at the helm of two of Malawi's most influential communications institutions.
