Katsonga joins UTM, dumps DPP: Brands Chilima’s party ‘national’

Former speaker of Parliament and Cabinet minister Davis Chester Katsonga, who joined the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) after deregistering his Chipani Cha Pfuko (CCP) after the May 20 2014 Tripartite Elections, has now joined UTM Party, having dumped the ruling DPP.

UTM vice president Michael Usi welcomed the Constitutional Court ruling victory “special gift” for the party at a rally on Sunday held at the grounds of Lumbira primary school in Chilomoni, Blantyre.

Katsonga told the excited record crowd which braved heavy rains that he has joined UTM because it is the only national party on the political landscape at the moment.

“UTM is the only national party because it does not have a tribal or regional leaning as is the case with the other parties,” he said.

The ruling DPP has the south, more especially the Lhomwe belt as its bedrock while the main opposition, the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) has the central region as its stronghold.

DPP leader Peter Mutharika comes from the Lhomwe belt while the MCP president hails from the Chewa corridor.

Katsonga, a former Mwanza Central legislator,  said UTM would distribute development projects and programs equally across the country because it is a national party unlike the other parties which favour their regions of power.

In his speech, Usi asked the people to vote for Dr. Saulos Chilima, the UTM presidential candidate in the forthcoming Constitutional Court sanctioned fresh elections in five months time.

He said Chilima would drain the swamp by taming state sponsored chronic graft, would decisively deal with tribalism, regionalism, nepotism, cronyism and favouritism in the appointment of people in government positions and awarding of government contracts.

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