Speaker brands Dzombe factory questions ‘previous government’s fault’ — sparking chaotic clash

Malawi’s Speaker of Parliament was on Wednesday accused of playing politics after he furiously blamed the opposition for the botched launch of a multimillion-kwacha fertiliser plant — triggering uproar in the chamber.

Sameer Suleman, who presides over the National Assembly, sent MPs into a frenzy when he waded into a heated debate over businessman Napoleon Dzombe’s stalled fertiliser factory in Dowa district — a plant that has still not produced a single bag of fertiliser despite being built.

The extraordinary scenes unfolded after Agriculture Minister Roza Mbilizi told the House the company was still missing crucial approvals — including a long-overdue environmental impact assessment — needed before it can fire up production.

Local Government Minister Dr Ben Malunga Phiri piled in to back the government’s line.

But MPs from the opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP) were having none of it, demanding ministers stop dragging their feet and fast-track the factory’s opening as the nation grapples with a crippling fertiliser shortage.

That’s when the Speaker dropped his bombshell.

“It is the previous government,” he thundered, pointing the finger squarely at the MCP — the very party that governed before the current administration.

MCP chief whip Moses Kunkuyu led furious protests from the opposition benches, only for the Speaker to fire back at him directly.

“MCP chief whip, you were spokesperson of the previous government,” Suleman snapped, further inflaming tempers.

With the chamber descending into uproar, a rattled Speaker was forced to call for calm.

“Can I have order,” he pleaded, as MPs shouted over one another.

Once order was finally restored, the Speaker appeared to soften his tone — insisting he was not trying to score political points after all.

“What we are trying here is to correct the problem. We both should take blame for this and we both should work together to make sure this factory is working,” he told MPs.

“What we are saying is the issue did not start now — it has taken too long.”

Suleman went on to blame bureaucratic red tape across government departments and agencies for repeatedly stalling major projects — and issued a stern warning to MPs not to turn the fertiliser factory saga into a political football.