Peter Mutharika back, faces citizenship puzzle
Malawian President Bingu wa Mutharika’s younger brother Peter, who is Foreign Affairs Minister and Malawi’s ruling DPP presidential hopeful on Sunday returned back home after not been seen in publicfor over a month.
Peter, who is also President Mutharika’s heir apparent, had travelled to United State last month. Speculation was rife then that the he had travelled abroad to try solve the citizenship matter after reports emerged that he has an America citizenship.
Harry Mkandawire of Vice President Joyce Banda’s People’s Party, questioned Mutharika’s citizenship to Malwi, claiming that he might be holding allegiance to two different countries—Malawi and the United States.
Mkandawire contended, Mutharika should not be in the Malawi cabinet nor be considered as a presidential candidate in the 2014 general elections.
Malawi’s laws however, do not allow dual citizenship.
It is widely speculated that Peter Mutharika obtained US citizenship whilst living in the US and hence, had renounced his Malawian citizenship.
He is said to have been used the American passport all the years he has been living in diaspora.
Malawi’s Chief Immigration Officer, Elvis Thodi, recently said records at his Department show that Mutharika is a bona fide citizen of the Republic of Malawi. And that he hold the country’s passport.
Thodi affirmed that the question of Mutharika having any allegiance to another country, therefore, does not arise under the circumstances.
But the Public Affairs Officer at the United States Embassy in Malawi, Benjamin Donovan said that his government does not encourage dual citizenship “because of the problems it may cause” but declined to “provide additional information” on Peter Mutharika’s status “due to privacy concerns.”
Follow and Subscribe Nyasa TV :
