Kinnah regrets making speech at UTM rally, says he is DPP

Malawi national football team legend Kinnah Phiri has said he regrets making the speech at United Transformation Movement (UTM) launch in Mzuzu last August and endorsed Vice-President Saulosi Chilima as the “real hope” for Malawi, saying he remains a member of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

During the rally, Kinnah, who is Malawi’s all-time top-scorer for the national team, said “My simple job, here, is to endorse you [Chilima] for President come 2019 elections.”

Malawi’s most celebrated football player and former National Team coach said He never registered as a member of UTM.

“I went to attend the rally in Mzuzu because it is close to where I stay, unfortunately I was asked to speak without prior information, ” he said.

But Kinnah at the rally was donning a UTM t-shirt and said Chilima will “change Malawi for everybody”.

He said: “I am endorsing Dr Saulos Klaus Chilima our President, 2019 Boma!”

However, on Thursday the football legend said he regrets making such a speech.

“This is why I have come to make my position clear that I am a DPP member,” he said.

UTM’s secretary general Patricia Kaliati said said their records does not indeed show that the former flames coach was a member of the UTM.

During a career spanning seven years from 1974 to 1981, Kinnah scored the 67 goals in 110 games, followed by his successor at Bata Bullets Lawrence Waya on a distant 29 goals from 125 matches.

He also led Malawi to the finals of the Africa Cup of Nations as coach for the Flames.