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The State Department has announced that four former Malawi government officials are now barred from entering the United States due to their involvement in significant corruption.

These individuals include Reyneck Matemba, the former solicitor general and secretary of justice; John Suzi-Banda, former director of public procurement and disposal of assets; Mwabi Kaluba, a former attorney for the Malawi Police Service; and George Kainja, who served as the Inspector General of the Malawi Police Service.

According to the State Department, these officials abused their public positions by accepting bribes and other forms of value from a private businessman in return for a lucrative government police contract. In a statement, department spokesman Matthew Miller said the US was committed to supporting Malawians striving for justice and prosperity by ensuring accountability and promoting transparency in government dealings.

The revelation of the ban has prompted reactions from the implicated individuals. Matemba said, “I am still in Malawi and have never traveled outside the country since 2021. I am on bail, therefore I can’t travel because my passport is technically with the police.” Similarly, Suzi-Banda conveyed his unawareness of the development.

This crackdown is part of a broader anti-corruption initiative led by Malawi’s President Lazarus Chakwera, who has taken dramatic steps such as dissolving the entire Cabinet in 2022 following corruption allegations against three ministers. That same year, Malawi’s vice president was arrested and charged with graft by the Anti-Corruption Bureau.