SOCIAL commentator, practising auditor and acclaimed writer Onjezani Kenani has delivered a scathing broadside against Nation Publications Limited (NPL), accusing the respected media house of abandoning its watchdog role and becoming a defender of government underperformance.
In a strongly worded Facebook post, Kenani, who says The Nation newspaper played a pivotal role in launching his writing career, expressed deep concern over what he views as a shift in the publication’s editorial direction.
The celebrated author recalled how, as a 21-year-old trying to find his footing in life, he submitted an article to The Nation’s popular My Turn column. The piece impressed then Editor-in-Chief Alfred Ntonga, who invited him to his office following its publication.
“He was expecting someone much older and was surprised to see a lanky 21-year-old,” Kenani wrote.
But while reflecting fondly on his personal connection with the newspaper, Kenani was equally effusive in praising its historic contribution to Malawi’s democracy.
He noted that under veteran journalist Ken Lipenga, The Nation emerged as one of the country’s most influential voices during the fight against one-party rule, helping to challenge the Banda regime at a time when doing so carried significant risks.
According to Kenani, NPL has spent three decades building a reputation for fearless journalism, often sacrificing lucrative government advertising revenues in pursuit of independent reporting.
He also hailed the company’s long-running maternal health fundraising campaigns, which have raised hundreds of millions of kwacha for hospitals nationwide.
Yet despite those achievements, Kenani said he has become alarmed by what he describes as increasingly flattering coverage of government performance.
The respected commentator pointed to The Nation on Sunday‘s assessment of former president Peter Mutharika’s first year in office, which awarded the administration a score of 62 per cent, as the moment he first began questioning the newspaper’s editorial judgement.
“Even the President himself must have been surprised,” Kenani remarked, noting that Mutharika later rated his own performance at just 50 per cent during an interview with MBC.
Kenani argued that positive portrayals of government performance are difficult to reconcile with the realities facing ordinary Malawians, including shortages of medicines in hospitals, recurring fuel and cooking gas shortages, and corruption scandals across public institutions.
In a passionate appeal to the newspaper, he urged NPL to return to the principles that made it one of Malawi’s most trusted news organisations.
“Over the last three decades, Nation Publications has done a tremendous job in fighting for the nation, quite often at a huge cost,” wrote Kenani.
“NPL, it’s never too late to do good. You have served the Malawi nation well for three decades. Don’t damage your reputation now.”
His comments have sparked debate on social media, with many weighing in on the role of the press in holding those in power accountable during a period of economic hardship and growing public frustration.
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