Just two years ago, in April 2024, I shared on my Facebook page a picture of Senegal’s newly elected President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and his Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko arriving at their first Cabinet meeting dressed identically — same suit, same tie, same shoes.
Vasco Madhlopa
The post exploded.
Tens of thousands viewed it, many reshared it, and the comments section was flooded mostly by Kenyans and Malawians saying:
“We have seen this movie before… and it never ends well.”
They were referring to the once-celebrated political bromances of Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto in Kenya, and Saulos Chilima and Lazarus Chakwera in Malawi — alliances that began with excitement, unity and hope, but eventually collapsed into public fallout, mistrust and bitter political divorces.
Today, Senegal has become the latest chapter in that familiar African political script.
President Faye has reportedly dismissed his Prime Minister and political mentor Ousmane Sonko, dissolving the entire government after months of mounting tension between the two camps.
The same men who stormed to power in 2024 on a wave of anti-establishment momentum, youthful energy and promises of transformation are now openly divided, exposing cracks many ignored during the honeymoon phase.
Closer to home in Malawi, we are witnessing signs of a similar drama unfolding within the Blue Alliance.
President Peter Mutharika and his alliance partners rode the 2025 coalition wave to victory amid promises of unity, inclusivity and collective leadership.
But only months later, the alliance already appears strained, fractured and unstable. There are growing fears that some alliance partners could soon be pushed out as tensions quietly intensify behind closed doors.
From Kenya to Senegal to Malawi, the pattern is becoming painfully predictable.
Political alliances in Africa often begin with beautiful symbolism — shared rallies, matching colours, public embraces and promises of a new era. Leaders speak the language of unity, sacrifice and collective vision.
But once power is secured, many of these arrangements begin collapsing under the heavy weight of personal ambition, ego clashes, competing centres of authority, mistrust and conflicting governance priorities.
In many cases, alliances are not built on ideology, policy alignment or long-term national vision. They are built around electoral arithmetic — temporary marriages of convenience designed mainly to win power.
And once power is achieved, the contradictions begin to surface.
The biggest victims are always ordinary citizens who vote for change hoping for stability, development and better governance, only to witness infighting, political paralysis and broken promises.
Africa must begin asking itself difficult but necessary questions.
Are coalition governments genuinely sustainable within our political culture, or are we repeatedly entering arrangements that are structurally weak from the beginning?
Can African leaders rise above personal ambition and put national interest first?
Can coalition frameworks be built around institutions, principles and policy agreements rather than personalities and political survival?
History continues to repeat itself across the continent. The warning signs are always visible during the honeymoon stage, but citizens often ignore them because hope is powerful.
The real challenge for Africa is not simply forming alliances — it is building mature, disciplined and principled coalitions capable of surviving beyond elections and personal interests.
Otherwise, we may continue watching the same political movie over and over again, only with different actors and different countries.
What do you think?
Are these political breakdowns inevitable in African politics, or can the continent finally build stable alliances that genuinely place citizens above power struggles?
The author is President of the National Alliance Party.
