Fired former Escom CEO Kumwenda seeks K1.1bn payout settlement, rejects Mubas deployment - Malawi Nyasa Times - News from Malawi about Malawi
Summary
Fired Escom CEO Kamkwamba Kumwenda is pursuing a K1.1 billion payout settlement from the Malawian government and has rejected a deployment to the Malawi University of Business and Applied Science (Mubas). The Attorney General, Frank Mbeta, sought to consolidate Kumwenda’s case with that of former HR director Chrispin Banda, both of whom challenged their November 2025 dismissal from ESCOM. Mbeta argued that Kumwenda concealed his pursuit of the settlement while seeking a judicial review, claiming an alternative remedy existed.
Justice Edna Bodole ruled in favor of consolidation, while Justice Allan Hans Muhome scheduled a hearing for January 12, 2026, regarding the discharge of the judicial review order. The Attorney General asserts that Kumwenda reached an amicable settlement after rejecting the Mubas position and continued to court despite the Secretary to the President and Cabinet (SPC) considering his K1,144,349,130.00 payoff proposal.
Kumwenda maintains that the ESCOM board held the authority to dismiss him and that the SPC lacked jurisdiction as he was not a civil servant. The Attorney General contends that the case falls under private employment law and that Kumwenda did not act in “utmost good faith” by concealing the settlement proposal from the court.
(Source:Nyasa Times)