Four months after the killing of Dr. Victoria Bobe, a case that shocked the nation and reached Parliament, the promised speedy-trial has yet to begin.
Dr. Bobe, a senior consultant at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital and a lecturer at Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, was gunned down at her residence in Chigumula, Blantyre, on November 16, 2025.
In the immediate aftermath, authorities assured the public of swift justice. But the case remains far from trial.
MIJ Online understands that prosecutors are yet to proceed due to insufficient evidence.
This is despite the Malawi Police Service announcing what it described as a “breakthrough”, with the arrest of six suspects: Raphael Mano, Santos Chamamba, Issa Ali, Maxwell Eliya, Charles Chikafa, and Peter Chimenya.
However, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) says the case cannot proceed in its current state.
Ministry of Justice spokesperson Frank Namangale told MIJ Online that prosecutors identified gaps in the evidence submitted by police.
“Upon review, we identified certain evidential gaps. We have since advised the police to conduct further investigations before a determination on the way forward is made,” he said.
Namangale added that the DPP could not initiate prosecution based on the docket received.
“Hence, the police were told to redo investigations on the murder,” he said.
Court records show that the matter was committed to the High Court in February, two months after the suspects were arrested, but progress has stalled.
Judiciary spokesperson Ruth Mputeni said the case cannot proceed without disclosures from the DPP.
“We received a committal in February, but there are no disclosures. Proceedings will commence once the Office of the DPP files the disclosures,” she said in a written response.
The developments expose a disconnect between key state institutions.
While the DPP says it is waiting for police to strengthen the case, police spokesperson Lael Chimtembo insisted the matter is already with prosecutors for action.
Meanwhile, all six suspects remain in custody at Chichiri Prison, “pending further legal proceedings” according to Steve Meke, Malawi Prison Service spokesperson.
Human rights watchdog Centre for Human Rights Rehabilitation and Education Assistance has since condemned the prolonged detention of the suspects without trial, warning this risks violating legal safeguards.
Under Malawi’s Criminal Procedure and Evidence Code, suspects must be brought before court within a reasonable time. Trials in the High Court are generally expected to begin within 60 days – or up to 90 days for serious offences such as murder.
Despite this, the case has yet to move to trial, more than 120 days after the arrest of the suspects.
In December 2025, the suspects were paraded before cameras and taken to the crime scene to demonstrate how the crime was allegedly committed, a move that had signaled a breakthrough in the investigation at the time.
Dr. Bobe was shot around 23:00 hours during the attack. Police records indicate that a MacBook Pro laptop, an iPad (10th generation), and an NBS point-of-sale machine were stolen.
With investigations now effectively reset and institutions pointing fingers, the question remains whether the promise of swift justice in this most high-profile murder cases will be fulfilled – or quietly stall.