Mwanamvekha joins frontline politics: Kanyumba’s wife barred from DPP contest
Former Secretary to the Treasury, Joseph Mwanamvekha has finally joined politics and has since been endorsed as Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Parliamentary candidate for Chiradzulu South Constituency.
However, his endorsement was not short of controversy as his main competitor, Carol Kanyumba, wife to Minister of Education and Peoples Party (PP) Parliamentarian for Ntcheu Bwanje, Lucius Kanyumba was forced to pull out of the race.
Kanyumba is reported to have been barred from contesting after some DPP top officials suspected her to be a spy planted by PP due to her husband’s affiliation to that party.
Mwanamvekha was declared a winner as Kanyumba was ordered by DPP officials not to attend the primaries that took place on Monday, presided by Apostle Timothy Khoviwa as returning officer.
However, DPP Publicity Secretary, Nicholas Dausi in an interview said Kanyumba quit the party following her husband’s appointment as minister.
“She is no longer member of DPP. She followed her husband to PP that is why she did not turn up for primaries,” said Dausi, adding “I think some individuals are playing political games just to tarnish other people’s names by involving her in the primaries”.
But a program released prior to the primaries indicated that Kanyumba will partake in the elections and some DPP top officials confirmed to Nyasa Times she was still party member and that she was ordered not to contest in the primaries due to her husband’s affiliation to PP.
“She has been our member all along and she was the one championing our structures in the area all these years, until she was stopped from contesting. She was even refused the nomination forms. And we are yet to meet as the party over the same issue,” disclosed one of official.
Mwanamvekha, former Chairperson for Mulhako wa Alhomwe but now a Board Member, was fired from his position as Secretary to the Treasury and replaced with Radson Mwadiwa in April this year soon after President Joyce Banda took over office.
He was once Malawi Savings Bank CEO and was largely believed to be a protégé of late President Bingu wa Mutharika.
Aside from Mwanamvekha other notable faces that have triumphed during DPP’s on-going primaries include Steven Malamba former defunct Republican Party (RP) for Nsanje Lalanje.
DPP’s Director of Elections, Kondwani Nankhumwa’s wife, Getrude has also emerged victorious in Blantyre Kabula constituency, which is currently under Felix Njawala.
Over 10 people have been endorsed as DPP Parliamentary representatives in the 2014 tripartite elections.
However in two constituencies, Phalombe East and Chikhwawa South the primaries failed to take place due to disagreement between contesting parties.
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