The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has arrested Jappie Mhango, the Vice President of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) for the northern region, in a development that once again pulls back the curtain on the deep-rooted corruption that plagued the former ruling party.
Mhango, who served as Minister of Transport and Public Works under President Peter Mutharika’s administration, is accused of abusing his office for personal and familial gain, marking yet another blow to the party’s integrity as the 2025 elections loom.
According to a press release issued by the ACB on June 2, 2025, Mhango is facing charges related to corruption activities occurred during his tenure as minister between 2016 and 2017.
He arbitrarily authorized the sale of government houses under his ministry’s jurisdiction at grossly undervalued prices—reportedly as low as K2.95 million—to individuals closely associated with him, including a relative named Cuthbert Mhango.
Further in April 2022, Mhango lied to the ACB when questioned in Mzuzu, claiming he did not know the landlord of a house rented by his second wife Thokozire Wanda. The house, located in Chibavi West, was in fact bought from the Ministry of Transport and Public Works—while Mhango was the line minister—and is now owned by Cuthbert Mhango.
Jappie Mhango’s arrest is not an isolated incident but part of a troubling pattern involving the top brass of the DPP. The arrest reveals the party’s legacy as one built not on service delivery or reform, but on patronage, corruption, and elite enrichment.
Numerous cases have already emerged to paint a damning portrait of how the party operated. In fact, two other DPP vice presidents are currently embroiled in serious corruption and criminal cases.
Joseph Mwanamvekha, vice president for the south, is facing charges over facilitating fraudulent procurement and misreporting of donor funds.
Alfred Gangata, vice president for the center is also facing scrutiny over dubious deals and procurement irregularities and he is also in court answering charges of forgery as he is believed to be using an MSCE certificate whose examinations were written by someone on his behalf.
DPP President Arthur Peter Mutharika himself, while serving as a presidential aide to his brother Bingu, is reported to have bought a Malawi Housing Corporation (MHC) house in Nyambadwe for under K1 million, a figure seen as insultingly low given the property’s true market value. Similarly, he is alleged to have acquired another house dubiously in Lilongwe, a matter that remains under public scrutiny.
The DPP office in Area 10, Lilongwe, was acquired from the City Council under questionable circumstances. This property, which should have served the public, was handed over to a political party without following due process.
Wife to the DPP President and former First Lady Gertrude Mutharika also obtained prime commercial plots in Lilongwe at giveaway prices for her Beautify Malawi Trust. These shady allocations were mirrored by other DPP officials who were also gifted land and property as political rewards.
These legal entanglements raise a fundamental question among commentators with some asking whether a party whose leadership is so deeply compromised be trusted to govern again?
No wonder that in communities from Phalombe to Rumphi, the sentiment is clear: “Bola DPP inachoka m’boma. Isadzabwelerenso” (Good thing is the DPP left government. It should never return).
