PP’s Mwenye quits over ‘leadership confusion’

Former ruling People’s Party (PP) Director of Social Affairs Steven Mwenye has resigned from his position and has immediately withdrawn his membership from the party.

He confirmed the development in an interview with state broadcaster Malawi Broadcasting Corperation (MBC).

Mwenye said he has decided to ditch PP following disagreement that have erupted in the party whereby the Northern Region committe through its chairman Christopher Mzomela Ngwira is claiming former Vice President Khumbo Kachali as the interim leader. The party’s founder and president Joyce Banda has been abroad close to a year now.

Mwenye said the party is currently lacking leadership and management.

“If you ask myself (why I have left PP), its all about poor management,” he told MBC.

He said PP is now “a party at war with itself, bitter accusations and disrespect .”

Mwenye said: “This is not the party that I was involved in creating. Nor is it a party that I want to continue to participate in. I am leaving with no regrets or bitterness towards anyone. I value the many good friends I have made in the PP over the years–on both sides of the current divide.”

He said so many people holding top positions dumped the party after the May general elections because PP lost its direction.

Mwenye suggested that after losing the May 2014 general elections, party executive committee members were supposed to sit down to map the way forward and found the root cause of its failure during the elections.

“After we failed the elections, we could have sat down and discuss what made us fail and to map the way forward so that we should not fail again,” said Mwenye.

Meanwhile, PP has trashed the idea of imposing Khumbo Kachali as the interim President of the party in the absence of Banda.

PP Secretary General Ibrahim Matola says Banda remains the president of the party.

Matola said he was not aware of Mwenye’s resignation.