Brown Mpinganjira

Brown James Mpinganjira (born 7 November 1950), popularly known as BJ is a Malawian Politician who used his 1986 detention to fight the injustices of the then one party state.

In the first multi party elections, Mpinganjira contested as Member of Parliament in his home town Mulanje.

He has contested once as a presidential candidate for National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in 2004 and as a running mate in the Mgwirizano Coalition (MCP & UDF) in 2009.

He then trained as a journalist in Cologne, Germany, and attained his master's degree in mass journalism from University of Leicester, England.

BJ was detained under the Kamuzu Banda regime when he was the Deputy Chief Information Officer in 1986 and spent time at Mikuyu Prison in Zomba until his release in 1991.

While in prison Mpinganjira, together with other detainees began operations by seeking international intervention to end the one party system.

Brown Mpinganjira was elected as Member of Parliament for Mulanje Central and served as a Minister during Bakili's tenure and was known as his right hand man.

In October 2000, Muluzi dropped Mpinganjira from his cabinet and he was arrested on charges of corruption and that he had taken a $731 bribe to offer lucrative deals to his friends when he was Minister of Education.

The party managed to contribute a number of Members of Parliament to the National Assembly among them Billy Kaunda and Mpinganjira himself.

Mpinganjira later dissolved the NDA and rejoined the United Democratic Front, a party he helped to found.