Chisomo Ngulube Writes

The appointment of 38 percent women into Malawi President Lazarous  Chakwera’s 31-member cabinet a first for the Southern African country, though slightly shy of the 40:60 prescription, gave gender rights activists what they thought was a glimpse into a new world of greater inclusion. But the announcement of new board compositions for state-run entreprises, took them aback as an analysis of the appointment showed that women had been grossly underrepresented . So I, Chisomo Ngulube (CN) sought a reaction from University of Malawi senior lecturer senior lecturer of Political and Administrative Studies (PAS) Dr Tiyesere Mercy Chikapa (TMC) .  By the way Tiyesere and I were in the class of '98 at St Mary's Secondary School in the cool city of Zomba, Malawi which also happens to be my home district; both my parents are from there. I call Tiyesere prof. regardless of the fact that she's yet to be made one by her university!

  The appointment of 38 percent women into Malawi President Lazarous   Chakwera’s 31-member cabinet, a first for the Southern African country gave gender rights activists what they thought was a glimpse into a new world of greater inclusion. But the announcement of new board compositions for parastatals, took them aback as an analysis of the appointment showed that women had been grossly underrepresented.

  On September 23, 2020, Government terminated the contracts of Chief Director responsible for Public Sector Reforms Seodi White, Director of Information in the Ministry of Information Mzati Nkolokosa and his deputy Deogratius M'mana. In a media interview on Wednesday, Minister of Information Gospel Kazako confirmed the development and said the appointments of the three had been irregular. Kazako said the dismissals were not witch-hunting but were meant to realign the Public Service towards delivering the development that the country needs to inch forward. He warned of more job terminations for those who secured employment in the Public Service via the back door that was political party colours. But reacting to her departure, White, never shy of media attention took to social media to say good bye. What I liked about her way of stepping off the scene is her effort to ensure what she claimed she had achieved was not lost to the banter around her firing. You see social m...

Malawi's Ministry of Health has provided the following guidelines for managing mild COVID-19 symptoms at home.

President Lazarous Chakwera's first 31-member cabinet has 12 women and Malawi's gender rights activists who had been pushing for the inclusion of more females in decision making positions have commended the decision. This is despite the numbers falling short of the 40 percent minimum for either gender as prescribed by law. But, they are not amused by the decision not to have a clearly stipulated Ministry of Gender and Disability and the fact that most of the women appointees (eight) are deputies.  

  On a bright, sunny morning of Sunday June 28th, Malawi's sixth President Lazarous Chakwera was sworn in after a landmark and historic battle by Malawians to reclaim their destiny. Following the announcement of the May 2019 presidential election results in favour of Democratic Progressive Party candidate Peter Mutharika, Malawians took to the streets to demand electoral justice.  Chakwera who had run on a Malawi Congress Party ticket and UTM Party president Saulos Chilima contested the matter in court. On February 3, 2019, the Constitutional Court nullified Mutharika's win and their decision was cemented by a ruling of the Supreme Court of Appeal that declared with a finality that the incumbent was unduly elected. As we congratulate President Chakwera, let us in a special way thank and remember the following:

  Malawi's new President Lazarus Chakwera and his deputy Saulos Chilima according to official presidential election results, will go into office with a huge load of expectations from Malawians to clean up the mess in the running of the affairs of the tiny southern African country and set it on a path to real growth.  The results clearly indicate how people in the urban and rural areas lost trust in the DPP administration led by Peter Mutharika as nearly 60 percent of them voted to boot him out of Sanjika or Kamuzu Palace whichever you fancy.

  Its  official, Tonse Alliance led by Malawi Congress Party president Lazarous Chakwera and his running mate Saulos Chilima are the new Government. Its official, Chakwera is moving from the pulpit to the State House On Saturday night, 27th June, 2019 Malawi Electoral Commission chairperson Justice Chifundo Kachale flanked by his six Commissioners announced official results for Tuesday's Fresh Presidential election to a pensive nation that had been agitating for change for a year.

  When Malawians vote for a President in a fresh poll set for Tuesday June 23, 55.6 percent of the 6,859,570 registered voters will be women. On the ballot paper is the incumbent, seeking re-election Peter Mutharika of the Democratic Progressive Party, Malawi Congress Party President Lazarous Chakwera and Mbakuwaku Movement for Development president Peter Kuwani and their running mates, all men.

  Malawi's major political quakes begin at Njamba Freedom Park in its Commercial city of Blantyre. The crowds that gather there to welcome a politician will tell him/here whether or not victory is assured. Its why political parties and their flag carriers will go to the extent of ferrying supporters for remote areas just to paint that picture. It is here that, on June 20, 2009 UTM Party president Saulos Chilima and running mate to Malawi Congress Party President Lazarous Chakwera wrapped up Tonse Alliance's bid for a presidential mandate when Malawians vote of the June 23 polls.

  Malawians on whose taxes, employees at the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) are paid have expressed how appalled, livid and enraged they are by the use of distasteful language in a story on the country's Vice President Saulos Chilima, in the 7pm Chichewa news bulletin. Even those who have ever worked at the state broadcaster and some who are still there are in disbelief and have been left dumbfounded by the unprecedented events that unfolded.

  Women and women’s rights activists have come out guns blazing to condemn President Peter Mutharika for insinuating that former President Joyce Banda is a woman of loose morals. Speaking in his native Thyolo after coming out of his cocoon to join the campaign trail, Mutharika sought to hit back at Banda for calling him a drunkard at an earlier rally. But Mutharika went beyond clarifying the drinking issue to describe Malawi’s first female president’s behaviour as promiscuous.

The 2019 Parliamentary, Presidential and Local Government elections will be remembered for the heightened campaign to see more women elected into higher office, through the 50-50 Campaign. While some progress was made on the parliamentary and local government fronts, attempts to see more women in the highest office of President were thwarted, as the only woman who had intended to contest, former president Joyce Banda withdrew her candidature to support the Malawi Congress Party. News that the May 21, 2019 presidential election results had been nullified by the courts offered a new window of opportunity for women who constitute over 52 percent of Malawians to actively participate. But when the final list of nine  political party and possible independent candidates for the July 21 election was released by the Malawi Electoral Commission, women were conspicuously missing. It means no woman will make it onto the ballot paper as a presidential candidate.

There have been reports on social media and from some of the COVID-19 patients, doubting the credibility of the positive results with some claiming the DPP government was bloating the figures. With the elections looming, the feeling is that the President Mutharika-led administration is deliberately trying to paint a gloomy picture to garner enough reasons to stop a presidential election re-run. This prompted the Ministry of Health to bring in its allies.

  The wording of the Malawi Constitution has on more than one occasion begged for interpretation from our learned colleagues in the judiciary. In the latest instance, the Constitutional Court in delivering its judgement that nullified Malawi’s 2019 presidential election result, interpreted the word ‘majority’ in Section 80 (2) of the country’s supreme law to mean securing 50 plus one percent of the votes cast. In doing so, they overturned an earlier ruling that said a majority simply meant the first one past the post. In 2009, Malawi’s former president Bakili Muluzi, seeking to spring back to Sanjika also petitioned the court to try and explain what  the Constitution meant by two ‘consecutive terms’. In his understanding, which I think makes sense, consecutive meant one after the other. To him, a person could serve as President for two consecutive terms, take a breather, put their feet up, probably on a ...