When the uniform becomes a campaign tool: Confronting the Police’s partisan drift in Malawi

The confirmation by the Police Independent Complaints Commission that investigations are underway concerning pre-election unrest is a positive development—but it is not enough.

What Malawi urgently needs is not only an inquiry into isolated incidents, but a serious reckoning with the broader issue of police professionalism and the dangerous drift toward partisan policing.

For years now, public confidence in the Malawi Police Service (MPS) has steadily eroded, largely due to the perception—and increasingly, the reality—that law enforcement is selectively applied depending on political affiliation.

During political protests, for instance, opposition supporters are often met with tear gas, arrests, and intimidation, while ruling party loyalists, even when engaging in equally disruptive conduct, enjoy relative immunity.

This double standard not only compromises justice but also delegitimises the police as a neutral institution tasked with maintaining public order without fear or favour.

In a democracy, the police must operate with the highest standards of impartiality and professionalism, especially in a tense electoral period where the stakes are high and tempers easily flare.

Instead, what we are seeing is a troubling tendency by some police officers to act as enforcers for the party in power, turning a blind eye to political violence when it serves the ruling elite’s interest.

The incidents of pre-election violence currently under investigation should be viewed not as isolated outbursts, but as the result of long-standing systemic failures within the Malawi Police Service.

Accountability mechanisms remain weak, with internal disciplinary measures often shielded from public scrutiny and whistleblowers within the force facing retaliation.

Moreover, recruitment and promotion within the police are often subject to political influence, further entrenching partisan loyalties rather than merit and ethical standards.

This trend is not only a threat to democracy—it endangers national unity and peace, particularly in a country with a history of contested elections and regional political rivalries.

The police, by aligning themselves with political agendas, risk becoming a source of insecurity rather than a guarantor of it.

If the Police Independent Complaints Commission truly seeks to restore trust, it must go beyond surface-level investigations and recommend deep institutional reforms.

These reforms should include stronger civilian oversight, depoliticised leadership, increased training in human rights, and a zero-tolerance policy for officers who act with partisan bias.

Civil society organisations, the Malawi Human Rights Commission, and Parliament itself must play a more proactive role in ensuring that the police serve the people, not the politicians.

Citizens, too, must demand better and refuse to normalise a security force that selectively applies the law depending on who wears the right party colours.

Malawi’s journey to democratic maturity depends in part on having a police service that is trusted, fair, and accountable.

We cannot talk about free and fair elections in September 2025 or beyond if the referees of law and order are wearing partisan jerseys.

Now is the time to reclaim the Malawi Police Service from political capture and restore its dignity as a nonpartisan institution dedicated to justice and national service.