Health scare for jailed activist Namiwa as High Court still to rule on bail

Activist Sylvester Namiwa was rushed to hospital while in police custody after falling ill — but has since been taken back behind bars, with the High Court still yet to rule on whether he will be granted bail.

The Executive Director of the Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (Cdedi) was dashed to ABC Hospital in Lilongwe after reportedly feeling unwell, sparking concern among supporters following weeks in custody.

Cdedi confirmed the alarming development in a brief statement shared on its official Facebook page.

“Mr. Sylvester Namiwa is at ABC Hospital in Lilongwe for check-up. He is not feeling well,” the statement read.

Following his check-up, however, Namiwa has now been returned to prison, where he remains in custody as he continues to await the outcome of his bail application.

The activist, who faces serious charges of treason and publishing news likely to cause public alarm, was arrested on July 30, 2026. He has since filed an application for bail through his lawyer, Gift Mwenye — but the case has become bogged down in wrangling over the terms of his potential release.

Mwenye recently told the court that the State had proposed bail conditions including a hefty K2 million bond, two sureties bonded at K3 million each in non-cash form, the surrender of travel documents, and a requirement for Namiwa to report to police every fortnight on Fridays.

While the defence raised no objection to most of the conditions, Mwenye argued the K2 million bail bond was excessive given his client’s circumstances.

“Namiwa is a person on low income. In all his human rights work, he doesn’t have an income and he does that voluntarily,” Mwenye told the court.

State lawyer Tapiwa Msimuko countered that the State was not objecting to bail in principle, insisting investigations into the matter had already been concluded. She did, however, urge the court to maintain the proposed conditions should it decide to release Namiwa.

Presiding Judge Mzonde Mvula said the decision on bail remained entirely at the court’s discretion, adding that he required more time to weigh submissions from both sides before delivering his ruling.

Namiwa’s road to the High Court has itself been a rocky one — his initial attempt to secure bail before the Lilongwe Chief Resident Magistrate Court proved unsuccessful, after it emerged only the High Court of Malawi has jurisdiction to handle bail applications relating to treason charges.

With the activist now back in custody and a hospital scare behind him, all eyes remain on the High Court as it prepares to deliver a ruling that will determine whether Namiwa spends the coming weeks behind bars — or is finally granted his freedom.

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