In a typical case of ‘You can run but you can’t hide forever’, the law is slowly catching up with UTM presidential hopeful Dr. Dalitso Kabambe with the High Court this week sending clear warning that his candidature is unattainable.
In a development that has been seen as a severe blow to the UTM ahead of September polls and likely to reshape the political chessboard ahead of Malawi’s September 2025 elections, the High Court’s Financial Crimes Division has dismissed an application by Kabambe seeking a permanent stay of criminal proceedings against him.
The former Reserve Bank of Malawi (RBM) Governor, who is contesting for the presidency under the UTM, had hoped to put an end to the criminal case dogging him in a bid to go into the elections as a new and clean face on the ballot, but the court has ruled otherwise.
Kabambe is facing charges of conspiracy, making misleading statements, and money laundering, and these legal woes now threaten to derail his presidential ambitions and throw the UTM into an identity crisis.
For the UTM, this was something that could have been avoided. During the run up to the November convention, the party leadership and delegates were warned against entertaining Kabande’s bid to take over the party.
However, greed and insatiable appetite for free money which Kabambe carelessly threw around, the former Director of Budget eventually won the seat beating the likes of Patricia Kaliati, Dr. Matthews Mtumbuka, and Newton Kambala.
Kabambe is facing charges of conspiracy, making misleading statements, and money laundering in connection with a $350 million Treasury Note transaction involving Afreximbank. Ironically, since he took over the UTM he has been parading himself as a man of clean hands who is ready to turn around the country’s economy.
In his application to have the case dropped, Kabambe had argued that his actions were taken in good faith during his tenure at the helm of RBM between 2017 and 2020. He anchored his plea on Section 15 of the RBM Act and the institution’s internal Code of Conduct, both of which offer conditional immunity for acts done in good faith from personal liability.
However, the High Court found these arguments lame and insufficient to halt the trial, effectively allowing the case to proceed.
One political analyst says this ruling “alters the political landscape.”
“This decision doesn’t just keep the legal matter alive—it casts a long shadow on Kabambe’s integrity and suitability for public office,” said the analyst, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of being seen as taking sides.
He adds: “It’s a credibility hit for both the candidate and the party he represents. In a campaign season, perception matters as much as the facts.”
He said, with Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) already out of the race as the party insist to field their 86-year-old candidate in Arthur Peter Mutharika, the High Court decision gives the ruling Malawi Congress Party (MCP) a further strategic advantage which would be an uphill task to beat.
“The MCP doesn’t even have to go on the offensive. The court has handed them a political gift,” he said. “And if the government decides to revive or pursue other pending issues from Kabambe’s RBM tenure, his candidacy could be crippled and forgotten.”
For UTM, the setback couldn’t have come at a worse time. With late Vice President Saulos Klaus Chilima’s posthumous political influence waning, the party had rallied around Kabambe as a technocrat with a clean image. That narrative now faces serious doubts.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior UTM official admitted that the situation was “deeply worrying.”
“Dr. Kabambe was our best shot at bringing serious economic credentials to the race. This case complicates our message to the electorate. But we still believe in his innocence and will stand by him,” the official said.
Yet not all within the party are aligned. A regional UTM mobilizer in the Central Region was more blunt: “We cannot go into this election with uncertainty hanging over our candidate. If this case continues into the campaign, it will weaken our brand, no matter how innocent he may be.”
Insiders have indicated that office of the Director of Public of Prosecution is already working to see if more charges can be added to the current case or if other cases—such as allegations of misreporting forex reserves or irregular bank appointments and the mid-night transfer of huge sums of money on the elections announcement eve to FDH bank—can be brought back into play.
MCP is silently watching what happens next but a senior party strategist, speaking off the record, said: “We’re not in the business of interfering with the judiciary, but we believe that those who mismanaged public institutions should be held accountable. If the courts are now doing their job, that’s good for Malawi.”
Another political commentator, a lecturer at University of Malawi, sees a potential risk to Malawi’s democracy if legal proceedings become selective hinting that if Kabambe is clean he has to go through the legal process to exonerate himself.
“Leaders must face justice when legitimate questions arise about their conduct in office,” he said. Everything said, Kabambe now faces the daunting task of managing a legal defense while mounting a national campaign. His team has not yet released a formal statement following the ruling, but sources close to his campaign say he intends to push forward, arguing that the charges are politically motivated.
With less than six months to election day, UTM must decide whether to double down on Kabambe or consider alternative strategies—possibly including fresh alliances or even a change of candidate.
Meanwhile, the MCP, buoyed by internal stability and incumbency, may use this moment to consolidate its support base and drive home a message of “clean governance.”
Whether Kabambe will survive the legal and political onslaught remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: the 2025 race just got a lot more complicated.
