High Court Halts Government Plan to Deploy Five Senior Soldiers to Civil Institutions

The High Court in Lilongwe has temporarily halted the government’s decision to deploy five senior Malawi Defence Force (MDF) officers to various State-owned institutions that are not military in nature.

The soldiers  Major General Chikunkha Soko, Saiford Kalisha, Swithun Mchungula, Francis Kakhuta Banda, and Brigadier General Harold Dzoole  challenged the decision, arguing that the deployment did not follow legal procedures.

Their lawyer, Allan Chinula, confirmed that Justice Kenyatta Nyirenda granted the injunction, effectively stopping the deployment and allowing the officers to apply for a judicial review of the government’s directive.

According to the court documents, the officers were to be sent to head security operations in parastatals including ESCOM, NOCMA, ADMARC, and EGENCO.

The matter will proceed in court as the judicial review application is examined.