Malawi govt disappoints Kamuzu family over failure to organise Kamuzu Day events

Family and relations of founding president late Hastings Kamuzu Banda  have said they are disappointed that the government continues to ignore invitations to organise Kamuzu Day events.

May 14 is Kamuzu Day, a public holiday in Malawi set aside to remember and celebrate the life of Kamuzu.

Family representative, Ken Kandodo, said this during special prayers on Thursday in Lilongwe in memory of the former Head of State Kamuzu Banda.

“Considering what Kamuzu did for Malawi, government should have been at the core of organising the event,” said Kandodo.

There was no government  nor ruling Democratic Progressive Party  (DPP) representative at the event which was attended by Malawi Congress Party (MCP) president Lazarus Chakwera, and UTM leader Saulos Chilima among other opposition leaders.

Coincidentally, Kandodo and his sister Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda are MCP members of parliament – the party  which Kamuzu led in the struggle against colonialists in the 1960s before forming the first indigenous Malawian government in 1964.

Kandodo was great grandnephew  to Kamuzu.

In his speech, Kandodo , who is also MCP legislator, said it is sad that government choses to ignore their invitations.

He then asked Chakwera and Chilima to continue with Kamuzu’s legacy.

Taking his turn, Chakwera said in a country without good leadership, a vision cannot be achieved.

He said everyone’s contribution is significant if people want to built a nation.

Chakwera, who described Kamuzu “a great leader”,  emphasised that resources must be used to promote people’s  livehood.

He added that there is also need to respect one another as Malawians.

Kamuzu, who is believed to have been born on February 15 1898, died at a South African hospital on November 25 1997.

He ruled Malawi from July 6 1964 to May 21 1994 when he was defeated by  former president Bakili Muluzi—in the first post-independence multiparty general elections in 1994.

This public holiday had been observed across Malawi for 30 years. It was banned when the country attained multiparty democracy in 1993. It was reinstated by President Bingu wa Mutharika in 2009 replacing Freedom Day which marked the 1993 National Referendum that ushered in the multiparty democracy.