‘Ayimenso!’ MCP grassroots demand Chakwera’s return for 2030 as party gears up for leadership vote
Former president Lazarus Chakwera has been handed a rousing show of support from grassroots Malawi Congress Party (MCP) officials, with chants of “Ayimenso!” — Chichewa for “let him rise again!” — ringing out as the party’s District Chairperson for Kasungu East, Chisomo Mbembeza, publicly endorsed him as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2030 election.
The endorsement came during a whistle-stop visit by Chakwera to Mtunthama Trading Centre in Kasungu, where local officials and supporters rallied behind their former leader, with the rallying cry capturing the mood of the crowd.
Kasungu East MP Alex Nkhoma echoed the sentiment, telling the gathering that struggling farmers — battered by poor farm-gate prices — desperately need Chakwera back at the helm.
For his part, Chakwera insisted the party’s revival begins from the ground up, declaring himself ready and willing to serve Malawians once again.
Party bosses to thrash out leadership election plans
The show of grassroots loyalty comes as MCP’s top brass prepare for crunch talks over how to conduct internal leadership elections, according to the party’s Secretary General, Richard Chimwendo Banda.
Chimwendo Banda revealed that senior party officials are set to meet soon to iron out the framework for electing regional and constituency-level leaders, including parliamentary representatives.
He made the announcement at a political rally in Lilongwe’s Bwaila constituency, organised by local MP Precious Kabambe.
The Secretary General confirmed the party is moving to comply with a court ruling that ordered MCP to hold the elections — a decision that comes despite simmering tensions within the party’s ranks.
Chimwendo Banda used the platform to appeal for unity, urging party members to set aside their differences and remain united as the process unfolds, warning that internal division could derail the party’s ambitions ahead of the crucial vote.
The developments paint a picture of a party attempting to project strength and cohesion in public, even as it navigates a court-ordered internal shake-up and unresolved questions over its future leadership — with chants of “Ayimenso!” following Chakwera every step of the way as his supporters push to keep him at the centre of it all.
