Former Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera arrived in Dar es Salaam on April 8 to begin his diplomatic mission as the Commonwealth Special Envoy to Tanzania, according to The Citizen. Chakwera was received by Tanzania's Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Ngwaru Maghembe and met with Ambassador Mahmoud Thabit Kombo the following day. GhanaWeb reports that the visit initiates a series of consultations with government officials, opposition leaders, and civil society groups to encourage reconciliation and national dialogue following Tanzania's October 2025 general elections.
Update: The parliamentary inquiry into the K128.7 billion Amaryllis Hotel acquisition caused a political standoff this week, resulting in a walkout by opposition Malawi Congress Party lawmakers, AllAfrica reports. Leader of the House Jappie Mhango blocked the tabling of the Public Accounts Committee report, arguing the document was incomplete without testimony from key witnesses like former Secretary to the President and Cabinet Colleen Zamba. AllAfrica notes that the refusal to table the document exposed divisions within the Malawi Congress Party, as members disagreed over whether to demand an immediate presentation or allow further investigations into related bank transactions.
Update: In a related development, the Anti-Corruption Bureau has formally acknowledged receiving serious bribery allegations connected to the Amaryllis Hotel inquiry, AfricaBrief reports. An April 8 letter signed by Acting Director General Gabriel Gift Chembezi confirms the bureau received a complaint from human rights lawyer Alexious Kamangila. The complaint claims that Public Accounts Committee chairperson Steven Baba Malondera and other committee members accepted a K65 million bribe to influence the outcome of the hotel probe.
Meanwhile, the Human Rights Consultative Committee held a press briefing in Lilongwe on April 9 to petition state authorities over a rise in unverified allegations against public institutions, according to AM TV Malawi. The committee formally wrote to the Judiciary, the Malawi Human Rights Commission, the Attorney General, and the Inspector General of Police, urging them to act against social media campaigns that undermine the integrity of the courts and public officials.