Renowned Social and Political commentator Onjezani Kenani says the 15 months jail term given to former Malawi electoral Commission (MEC) Commissioner Linda Kunje for obstructing President Lazarus Chakwera’s convoy is ‘too harsh’.
Kunje’s former driver and a co-convict, Jones Tewesa, has also been sentenced to 15 months imprisonment with hard labour by Chief Resident Magistrate Austin Banda.
Reacting to the development through his official facebook page Kenani said obstructing Presidential convoy is a serious offence but the sentence given to Kunje is too harsh.
“Obstructing the motorcade of the President is not acceptable as it puts the President’s life at risk; but sentencing Kunje and her driver to 18 months and 15 months imprisonment respectively is excessively harsh,” posted Kenani
Meanwhile, Christopher Masanje, Lawyer for Linda Kunje, said Kunje will take the matter to the High Court. He argued that when a convict is a first offender, courts usually give non-custodial sentences.
“We are surprised that this has been the ruling of the court. We expected a suspended sentence due to the mitigating factors that we put across,” said Masanje.
On the other hand, State Prosecutor Levison Mangani said the state was happy with the judgement.
On 19 August, the court convicted the two of criminal, recklessness and negligence after they obstructed President Chakwera’s convoy in 2020 along Zomba-Blantyre road.
