OPINION | Before His Death, Chilima Had Already Chosen Chakwera Over APM—And 2025 Would Have Proven It

Explosive revelations point to a political truth many Malawians have whispered but never fully confronted: before his tragic death in June 2024, Vice President Saulos Klaus Chilima (SKC) had already resolved to back President Lazarus Chakwera’s re-election in 2025—not to run against him, and certainly not to return to Peter Mutharika’s fold.

Close aides and family insiders confirm Chilima privately admitted that UTM had no realistic path to power on its own, and constitutional limits meant he was disqualified from seeking another term as Vice President or as President in 2025. “He was a calculating strategist,” one confidant revealed. “He knew the numbers. He knew the law. His plan was clear—rally UTM behind Chakwera.”

This explains why Chilima’s silence toward Chakwera and MCP was so conspicuous in his second term. While some in UTM fantasized about going it alone, SKC never attacked Chakwera. Why? Because, insiders allege, an insider pact had already been struck: Chilima would not run, but instead become the chief campaigner for Chakwera in 2025.

Why Chilima Couldn’t Run in 2025

The 2009 Supreme Court ruling was a game-changer: no president, first vice president, or second vice president may serve more than two consecutive terms. That meant Chilima, having already served two back-to-back terms as Vice President (2014–2019 under APM, and 2020–2025 under Chakwera), was constitutionally barred from contesting again.

He knew the law tied his hands. Without him at the top of the ticket, UTM’s political muscle evaporated. A solo UTM bid in 2025 would have been electoral suicide.

The Alleged Deal With Chakwera

Reports point to more than just silent loyalty. Insiders claim Chakwera’s camp dangled both political and financial incentives to keep Chilima on side.

• Political Promise: Chilima was allegedly offered a powerful role—possibly a new Prime Minister’s post to be created through constitutional reforms—in exchange for rallying UTM behind Chakwera.
• Financial Relief: Strapped with debts from his costly 2018–2020 campaign blitz, Chilima reportedly welcomed government channels offering relief if he stayed loyal.
• Corruption Case Dropped: His corruption charges, which evaporated quietly, are now widely seen as part of the broader political settlement.

Even Chakwera’s son-in-law, Sean Kampondeni, confirmed the story indirectly. In his emotional tribute, he revealed SKC had told him just days before the crash that he had “quite made up his mind” not to contest, but instead to help Chakwera win re-election.

Why Chilima Would Never Have Returned to APM

Some in the opposition are now trying to rewrite history—painting Chilima as closer to Mutharika than Chakwera. Nothing could be further from the truth. The bad blood between APM and SKC was well-documented: Chilima broke from DPP in 2018 precisely because Mutharika’s circle suffocated him politically. Returning to APM would have been political suicide.

Instead, Chilima found space under Chakwera, who tolerated his independence, gave UTM ministers in cabinet, and even shielded him during his corruption trial. Political analyst Lyson Sibande puts it bluntly: “Chilima never broke ranks with MCP because he knew he needed them more than they needed him. His silence was strategic.”

The Unfinished Pact

Chilima’s death robbed Malawians of seeing the pact play out in full. But the evidence is overwhelming: SKC intended to campaign for Chakwera in 2025. His sudden passing silenced a plan that could have reshaped the elections—but Chakwera’s decision to rename a major Lilongwe highway after Chilima is more than symbolic. It is a quiet acknowledgment of an alliance sealed before tragedy struck.

Those now pushing the narrative that Chilima would have abandoned Chakwera are not just misreading history—they are insulting the man’s political intelligence. Chilima was pragmatic, not reckless. He knew his future and UTM’s survival depended on sticking with Chakwera, not gambling with APM.

And so the truth is clear: Had he lived, Saulos Klaus Chilima would have been standing side by side with Lazarus Chakwera in 2025.

 

Follow and Subscribe Nyasa TV :