President Laz appoints full Malawi cabinet with Mia, Usi and Khumbize in top positions

Malawi Congress Party (MCP) first deputy president Sidik Mia has been appointed Minister of  Transport and Public Works  while secretary general Elsenhower Mkaka  is Foreign Affairs and Micheal Usi the UTM vice president is Tourism, Culture and Wildlife minister  as President Lazarus Chakwera named his first full cabinet.

Chakwera gave key roles to leading Tonse Alliance politicians, honouring certain figures who helped him win a crucial election re-run.

The new president chose Robin Lowe who he picked as leader of opposition when he rejected to recognise Peter Mutharika as duly elected president  in 2019, to be agriculture minister.

UTM secretary general Patricia Kaliati  is named Minister of Community Development and Social Welfare while UTM’s Newton Kambala is Minister of Energy and UTM’s Agness Nyalonje is Minister of Education.

Citizen for Transformation Movement (CFT) leader Timothy Mtambo has been given minister of civic education and national unity.

MCP stawalts in the cabinet include Lingson Belekanyama as Minister of Local Government;  Titus Mvalo as Minister of Justice, Khumbidze  Kandodo Chiponda  is Minister of Health, Sosten Gwengwe gets trade portfolio.

Other ministers are Nancy Tembo for Forestry and Natural Resources; Kezzie Kasambala Msuwa minister of lands, Ulemu Msungama minister of youth and sports.

Zodiak Broadcasting Station managing director and owner  Gosepl Kazako is appointed minister of information and  while People’s Party (PP) vice president  and son of former president Joyce Banda, Roy  Akajuwe Kachale is Minister of Industry.

President Chakwera in consultation with vice-president Chilima has also appointed Rashid Abdul Gaffar as  minister of mining.

The President had only named a partial cabinet in which vice-president Saulos Chilima, who was sworn-in alongside Chakwera was named as minister of economic planning and development, and public sector reforms.

Chilima played an important role in the re-run of the controversial “Tippex election”, coming together with Chakwera to form the opposition Tonse Alliance that ultimately unseated ex-president Peter Mutharika.

Felix Mlusu was named as Malawi’s finance minister. He was previously managing director of Nico Holdings Plc, a financial company with interests in Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Mozambique.

Chikosa Silungwe, another lawyer involved in the court case forcing the election re-run, was named as Malawi’s attorney general. Silungwe previously worked at Malawi’s Law Commission and has a doctorate in Law from the University of Warwick, UK.

Richard Chimwendo Banda was named as minister of homeland security.

Chakwera won the election re-run with almost 59 percent of the vote. The country’s constitutional court had ordered a re-run over “widespread irregularities”, including the use of correction fluid to tamper with tally sheets.

Malawi became only the second country in sub-Saharan Africa to have presidential poll results overturned in the courts, as Kenya did in 2017.