Kamlepo says ‘Tshwee! ’ to north Malawi PP’s leadership post: Vows to voice against ‘Mapwevupwevu’ in Malawi govt

Outspoken Rumphi east member of parliament Kamlepo Kalua says he is overwhelmed with excitement following his appointment as former ruling party, Peope’s Party (PP) third vice president.

Kalua however said he will not have honey moon as he has a huge task of rebuiding the party in the northern region rocked by confusions.

“We will have to revamp the party in the north, we need to assure people that PP is there, it is a party to reckon with in the country, it has the leadership that is honest and accountable,” he said.

Kalua. formed Malawi Democratic Party where he was president and contested in the first Malawi multiparty democracy elections in 1994.

He came fourth after Bakili Muluzi, Hastings Kamuzu Banda and Thom Chakufwa Chihana. In 1999, Kalua ran again and came third after Muluzi, Gwanda Chakuwamba. He defeated, as it were, Daniel Nkhumbwe and Bingu wa Mutharika – when he contested the polls under his first party, the United Party. He did not stand in subsequent elections.

However, Kalua who together with Unandi Banda and Shyley Kondowe, took advantage of South African Broadcasting Corporation’s Chinyanja broadcasts into Malawi and other parts of Southern Africa to change Malawi, failed to secure parliamentary seats until 2014 when he disbanded his party to join PP.

He said the confusions in the north have potential of breaking up the party in the north where it has a substantial following.

Party acting president Uladi Mussa recently fired the party’s northern region governor Christopher Ngwira in a bid to quell power struggle.

Ngwira was campaigning for Khumbo Kachale to take over the presidency of the party.

Kalua said after the mission in the north is accomplished then party officials will hold meetings across the country to show people that the once mighty party still exists.

“We want to assure people that we have not abandoned them, we want them to know that they are not alone, we are there for the people. Tshwee! Mwaa Tshwee!” said Kalua.

The appointment of Mussa as acting president and Kalua as vice president is seen as a blow to Kachale who has not been offered any senior position of the party.

The once powerful vice president of the ruling party remains an ordinary member now.

Kalua and his comrades in arms were on Channel Africa, as the Chinyanja Service of the SABC was then called, taunting the once mighty Kamuzu Banda, the once-feared MYP and other notorious institutions almost every evening.

During the 1994-2004 period when Malawi’s democracy was maturing, Kalua played a critical role of holding the president accountable to Malawians. He would march, sometimes alone and dressed in military fatigues, to the gates of Sanjika Palace to present a petition.

Kalua has not relented on his political activism as he recently stood up in Parliament and told the government to stop lambasting the parliamentary leadership for procuring for itself expensive motor vehicles in this time of economic hardships.

He told Parliament he had chassis and engine numbers for all the motor vehicles, of similar quality to what the speaker and others are using, that government bought for itself, principal secretaries, and others and that he was ready to parade them before Parliament.

Kalua also queried on the 177 farm tractors and144 maize shelters Bingu wa Mutharika bought for Malawians in 2011 went.

The Rumphi East has again forced State House on the firing defensive firing line on the purchase of a multimillion luxury vehicle for catering and toilet facilities for President Peter Mutharika.

Kamlepo had told a local newspaper that State House had bought the vehicle at a staggering K150 million, an amount that could have provided three meals a day in all public hospitals that have since suspended provision of food and ambulance services due to huge budget cuts as Capital Hill says it has no money.

However, in a statement issued on Sunday, State House admits it has indeed bought the said vehicle but said at a price of K65 million.

Kalua insists there was ‘cashgate fraud’ in the purchase of the new unit and vows to continue speaking against extravagance in government in what he calls ‘Mapwevupwevu’.

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