Judge Kenyatta Nyirenda to deliver ruling on mandatory Covid-19 vaccination on Thursday
Judge Kenyatta Nyirenda of the High Court in Lilongwe will on Thursday deliver his ruling in a case in which a Lilongwe-based freelance journalist Mundango Nyirenda and the Center for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI) are challenging the proposal for the mandatory administration of Covid-19 vaccine.
Nyasa Times understands that Judge Nyirenda will deliver the ruling at 2pm.
CDEDI and journalist Mundango Nyirenda want the court to stop the Ministry of Health from implementing the mandatory administration of the Covid-19 vaccine and stop parliament from demanding Covid-19 certificates from employees in order to access parliament premises.
They also want the court to stop all private and public institutions from demanding vaccination certificates from their employees and customers to have access into their premises.
In its application CDEDI zeroed in on the matter following the Minister of Health Khumbize Kandodo-Chiponda’s announcement that all public servants will be forced to take a jab effective January 2022 on one hand while parliament has been sending back those that failed to provide proof of vaccination to enter its premises.
CDEDI executive director Sylvester Namiwa and Mundango Nyirenda claim that this has caused public outcry and unnecessary panic among members of the public; hence, the decision to move the courts on the matter.
Apart from CDEDI, state funded Malawi Human Rights Commission (MHRC) also advised government to reconsider its decision, warning that mandatory vaccination is a violation of human rights.
The Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA Malawi Chapter) also weighed in on the directive and called on the government to consult before the implementation of the said mandatory vaccination exercise.
Malawi is among African countries with low Covid vaccine up take with only 7.8 percent of its population having a single dose and 3.7 percent fully vaccinated.
End times