“Kenan Manda is corrupt to the core” — Kamangila erupts after losing defamation case
Embattled judge remains under mounting pressure from misconduct investigations, stalled impeachment push and explosive Malawi Law Society findings
Private practice lawyer and corruption whistleblower Alexious Kamangila has launched a blistering attack on High Court Judge Kenan Manda after losing a defamation case against the embattled judge, insisting the ruling will not silence allegations of corruption surrounding Malawi’s Judiciary.
Moments after the judgment, Kamangila took to Facebook declaring: “Kenan Manda IS CORRUPT TO THE CORE, and he can’t win a defamation case against anyone, moreso, Alexious Kamangila.”
Kamangila also attacked the legal handling of the matter, arguing that the ruling itself was procedurally flawed.
“According to the Law, you cannot enter Summary Judgment in a Defamation Claim,” he wrote.
The ruling comes as Judge Manda remains under mounting pressure following misconduct investigations by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), a stalled impeachment push in Parliament and explosive findings from a Malawi Law Society (MLS) inquiry report which identified him as a central figure in alleged “cartel-like operations” inside the High Court Commercial Division in Lilongwe.
The judgment was delivered by High Court Judge Howard Pemba after Kamangila failed to comply with procedural directions issued during a scheduling conference held on March 5, 2025.
The court had ordered Kamangila to file witness statements and skeleton arguments within 21 days, but Judge Manda’s lawyer, Michael Goba Chipeta, successfully applied to have the defence struck out for non-compliance.
Judge Pemba subsequently allowed the matter to proceed ex parte and referred the assessment of compensatory, aggravated and exemplary damages to the Registrar of the High Court and Supreme Court of Appeal.
The court also granted a permanent injunction restraining Kamangila or his associates from publishing or republishing statements deemed defamatory against Judge Manda and ordered the removal of the disputed publications within 24 hours of service.
However, the ruling arrives at a time Judge Manda himself is battling serious allegations of professional misconduct and abuse of judicial authority.
Judge Manda is currently on extended leave after requesting to step aside pending investigations by the Judicial Service Commission into 26 complaints lodged against him, four of which were selected for deeper investigations.
According to JSC Secretary Ireen Chikapa, the investigations were triggered after concerns over the judge’s conduct accumulated within the justice system.
The scandal escalated further after Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee initiated discussions around possible impeachment proceedings against Judge Manda before later referring the matter to the JSC and Malawi Human Rights Commission (MHRC), arguing Parliament could not risk becoming “both prosecutor and judge at the same time.”
At the centre of the controversy is a bombshell Malawi Law Society special inquiry report authored by Gabriel Chembezi — now the Acting Director General of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) — into alleged misconduct and “cartel-like operations” at the High Court Commercial Division in Lilongwe.
The report made damning findings against Judge Manda and other figures within the justice system.
“The Committee has found and confirmed that there is indeed a trend at the High Court Commercial Division in Lilongwe by which whenever certain members of the Society or some category of court users or their proxies take up a case before one of the Judges at that Registry, the outcome is usually a foregone conclusion in favour of those members’ clients,” the report states.
Investigators further concluded that the alleged operations were “organized and involve several players in the Justice system.”
The inquiry identified four lawyers and their firms as alleged “kingpins of the scheme”:
- Emmanuel Theu of Lexon and Lords
- Gift Nankhuni of G. Nankhuni and Partners
- Edgar Kachere of Whyte and Cross Law Consultants
- Wapona Kita of Kita and Company
The report also alleged the use of “proxies” in some cases, naming Geoffrey Taumbe, Khwima Mchizi and Zwelithini Chipembere as lawyers suspected of working closely with the principal legal players.
“The Committee however found that in some instances, the matters were undertaken by other lawyers who are strongly believed to be proxies of the four lawyers mentioned above,” the report states.
Most explosively, the inquiry directly named Judge Manda and Assistant Registrar Anthony Kapaswiche as alleged masterminds behind the operations.
“The investigations have revealed that two judicial officers are the master minders of the scheme. These are (a) Justice Kenan Manda; and (b) Assistant Registrar Anthony Kapaswiche,” the report states.
According to investigators, the alleged scheme involved blatant violations of court procedure, favouritism toward selected lawyers, rushed judgments, intimidation of witnesses, denial of mediation opportunities and enforcement orders allegedly issued before mandatory legal deadlines expired.
“The investigations have revealed that there has generally been bias and general favouritism in favour of the lawyers mentioned and cases handled by them,” the report further states.
The MLS inquiry recommended that Judge Manda and Kapaswiche be removed from the Commercial Division and reported to the Judicial Service Commission, while implicated lawyers and alleged proxies be referred to disciplinary proceedings.
Despite the explosive allegations and ongoing investigations, no criminal conviction has yet been secured against Judge Manda or the lawyers named in the report.
Nevertheless, the developments have intensified national debate over transparency, accountability and public trust in Malawi’s Judiciary at a time some controversial Commercial Court disputes involve claims running into trillions of kwacha.
Meanwhile, Kamangila insists the battle is far from over.
