MP Chisale enters race for Bua region chairman as MCP restructures

Member of Parliament for Kasungu Central, Chikondi Kampachike Chisale, has entered the race for chairman of the newly-created Bua region, vowing to promote unity and transparency within the Malawi Congress Party as he seeks to help steer the party back into government in the country’s next general elections.

His bid comes as the MCP unveiled a sweeping shake-up of its internal structures, announcing it has carved out new regions across the central and southern parts of the country in a bid to strengthen the party and boost membership ahead of the 2030 polls.

Party Publicity Secretary Jessie Kabwila confirmed that the central region will now be split into three separate party regions, while the southern region will be divided into two — with the northern and eastern regions remaining unchanged as single regions each.

Kabwila said the restructuring was designed to make the party more manageable and to strengthen internal democracy, revealing that elections for the newly-created regional chairperson posts are expected to be wrapped up by the end of this year.

Breaking down the new structure, she explained that Ntcheu and Dedza districts have now merged to form one region, Lilongwe and Mchinji have combined into another, while Dowa, Ntchisi and Kasungu have joined forces to create the new Bua region.

It is that newly-formed Bua region that Chisale is now eyeing, positioning himself as a unifying figure determined to end the party’s long stretch outside government.

The overhaul marks one of the most significant internal restructurings undertaken by the MCP in recent years, as the party regroups and sharpens its organisational machinery ahead of what is shaping up to be a fiercely contested battle for power in 2030.