Malawi: Blantyre's Water Board Turns to Mutharika As Staff-Management War Deepens

What the report says

Employees at Blantyre Water Board in Malawi have appealed to President Peter Mutharika to remove both chief executive Yeremiah Chihana and board chairman Stanley Chirwa, saying the leadership dispute is disrupting the utility’s work. According to the report published by Nyasa Times and distributed by AllAfrica, the request came through the BWB Employees Trade Union during a meeting at the board’s head office in Blantyre. Union secretary general Davie Maluwa said the aim was to protect the institution, while staff also reportedly spent several hours in prayer and with music playing as tensions around the utility continued.

The article says workers had already tried to get the Comptroller of Statutory Corporations to intervene in May, but were told the matter could not be taken up while it was before the courts. It also reports that Chihana was suspended again last week, on allegations including misrepresentation, unauthorized appointments and a K500 million overdraft allegedly arranged without board approval.

The High Court then ordered him reinstated, continuing a cycle of suspension and return that has left the board in a state of uncertainty. Governance commentators Benedicto Kondowe and Willy Kambwandira warned that the standoff could undermine the board’s core service of supplying water. The dispute highlights broader concerns about governance and continuity at a public utility that serves a major city in Malawi.