| Commander of the Defence Force | |
|---|---|
since 5 October 2025 | |
| Reports to | Minister of Defence |
| Appointer | President |
| Formation | 15 May 1971 |
| First holder | Graciano Matewere |
| Website | Official website |
TheCommander of the Malawi Defence Force is the highest-ranking military officer in theMalawian Defence Force and is responsible for maintaining control over the three service branches of the military.
| No. | Portrait | Name (birth–death) | Term of office | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||
| 1 | ![]() | General Graciano Matewere (born ?) | 15 May 1971 | 9 April 1980 | 8 years, 330 days | [1] |
| 2 | ![]() | General Melvin Khanga (born ?) | 9 April 1980 | 10 June 1992 | 12 years, 62 days | [1] |
| 3 | ![]() | General Isaac Yohane (born ?) | 10 June 1992 | 10 December 1993 | 1 year, 183 days | [1] |
| 4 | ![]() | General Dismus Maulana (born ?) | 10 December 1993 | 15 June 1994 | 187 days | [1] |
| 5 | ![]() | General Manken Chigawa (?–1995) | 15 June 1994 | 18 April 1995 X | 307 days | [1] |
| 6 | ![]() | Major General Owen Binauli (?–1998) | 26 April 1995 | 30 September 1996 | 1 year, 165 days | [1][2] |
| 7 | ![]() | General Kelvin Simwaka (born ?) | 30 September 1996 | 16 January 1998 | 1 year, 108 days | [1][3] |
| 8 | ![]() | Lieutenant General Joseph Chimbayo (born ?) | 16 January 1998 | 13 July 2004 | 6 years, 179 days | [1][3] |
| 9 | General Marko Chiziko (born 1952) | 13 July 2004 | 22 July 2011 | 7 years, 9 days | [1] | |
| 10 | General Henry Odillo (born ?) | 22 July 2011 | 4 August 2014 | 3 years, 13 days | [1][4] | |
| 11 | ![]() | General Ignasio Maulana (born ?) | 4 August 2014 | 31 July 2016 | 1 year, 362 days | [5][6] |
| 12 | General Griffin Supuni Phiri (born ?) | 25 August 2016 | 9 August 2019 | 2 years, 349 days | [1][7] | |
| 13 | General Vincent Nundwe (born ?) | 9 August 2019 | 17 March 2020 | 221 days | [8] | |
| 14 | ![]() | General Peter Namathanga (born ?) | 17 March 2020 | 25 September 2020 | 192 days | [9][10] |
| 13 | General Vincent Nundwe (born ?) | 25 September 2020 | 13 July 2023 | 2 years, 291 days | [1][10] | |
| 15 | General Paul Valentino Phiri (born 1972) | 13 July 2023 | 5 October 2025 | 2 years, 84 days | [11] | |
| 16 | ![]() | General George Jafu (born 1962) | 5 October 2025 | Incumbent | 51 days | [12] |