The Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) has been ordered to vacate offices at Development House in Lilongwe.
Property owners, Capital Developments Limited (CDL), through property managers, Mpico, said an offer for Mec’s continued office occupation expired without response from the electoral body.
According to a letter dated May 20, 2026, addressed to Mec Chief Executive Officer Andrew Mpesi, Mpico’s General Manager Stella Sokosa said Mec failed to respond to an office accommodation offer that was issued on April 27, 2026.
The letter states that the offer was valid for 14 days and expired on May 10, 2026.
“We regret to advise that the offer validity period of 14 days expired on 10th May 2026. We further put it on record that we did not receive a response to our letter and the follow-ups that we made to your office,” reads part of the communication.
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Mpico further indicated that in the absence of a formal agreement between the two parties, Mec was expected to immediately vacate the premises and hand over vacant possession by May 21, 2026.
The development follows earlier communication from the Ministry of Lands, dated April 7, 2026, which indicated that the government would not renew tenancy arrangements for the offices currently occupied by Mec at Development House.
When contacted for comment, Mec spokesperson Sangwani Mwafulirwa said he was not aware of the latest developments regarding the matter.
Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) spokesperson Focus Maganga said the government’s position remains that Mec should relocate its headquarters to Blantyre in line with an earlier government directive.
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“The government was paying rentals because they were in Lilongwe. But now they were directed to relocate to Blantyre.
“The question of government paying rentals no longer arises because Mec will not be in Lilongwe and does not need office space in Lilongwe,” he said.
He added that government would continue paying rent for another government institution expected to occupy the building.
Maganga further said although the letter ordering Mec to vacate did not originate from OPC, it reflected the government’s broader expectation that the commission complies with the relocation directive.
He maintained that the relocation does not interfere with Mec’s constitutional independence, as some have argued.
“The directive has nothing to do with the constitutional mandate of Mec. The commission remains independent, and just having its offices in Blantyre does not change that,” Maganga said.
The government’s push for Mec to relocate from Lilongwe to Blantyre sparked legal and political discussions after Mec resisted the relocation, citing operational and administrative concerns.
Earlier this month, the High Court threw out an application by some three citizens for Mec to remain in Lilongwe, contrary to a directive which President Peter Mutharika issued last year for Mec as well as Malawi Housing Corporation and Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority to return to Blantyre and for Malawi Prison Service to return to Zomba.
All the other three bodies complied with the order.
Development House, situated in Lilongwe’s City Centre, has over the years accommodated several government departments and institutions.