OPINION | Malawi Needs Kabambe–Mtumbuka Leadership Now, Not in 2030

Malawi is stuck. While the world races ahead, we’re trapped in the same old problems—no jobs for our youth, a crippling cost of living, collapsing hospitals and schools, and a government that always looks exhausted.

With the September 16 elections just weeks away, this is not just about swapping one president for another. It’s about changing our direction as a nation.

After enduring six years of Arthur Peter Mutharika and five years of Lazarus Chakwera, one thing is clear: Malawi needs a total reset. We need leaders who understand the present and can see the future—and neither Mutharika, at 86, nor Chakwera, well past retirement age, fits that bill.

That’s why Malawi’s moment calls for Dr. Dalitso Kabambe and Dr. Matthews Mtumbuka.

They’re not perfect, but they’re the right mix of energy, vision, and relevance—Kabambe at 53, Mtumbuka at 47. Old enough to have the experience, young enough to still have something to prove, and with children in school—meaning they have a personal stake in fixing this broken system.

Compare that to leaders who have nothing to lose if Malawi remains stagnant for another decade. The youth—and leaders like Kabambe and Mtumbuka—have everything to lose.

Their vision? Prepare Malawi for the future. One of their most daring promises is to create opportunities for young Malawians to work online for global companies, earning up to MK200,000 a day. Critics scoff, but this is already reality in Kenya, Rwanda, Ghana, and Nigeria. Why not us?

Mtumbuka’s tech expertise and Kabambe’s economic know-how can turn Malawi into a hub for the digital economy—building tech hubs, improving internet access, creating digital skills programs, and partnering with global firms to hire Malawians remotely. A young person in Karonga or Nsanje could be serving clients in London or New York without leaving home—paid in dollars, living in Malawi.

This is leadership for the 21st century, not another tired promise of roads and bridges as if it’s still 1994. With stronger earnings and greater buying power, the rest—modern hospitals, quality schools, good infrastructure—will follow.

We need to stop treating State House like a retirement home for political veterans. We need leaders with urgency, ideas, and the fire to build a Malawi that works.

The world is moving fast. Kabambe and Mtumbuka are saying: let Malawi catch up, let Malawi lead. Their plan is about work, innovation, and global opportunities—not handouts.

Malawi can’t afford to wait for 2030 to get it right. The time for change is now.

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