Prof Danwood Chirwa: Mutharika Returns to Power Amid Low Expectations, Mounting Challenges
University of Cape Town law professor Danwood Chirwa has delivered a stinging analysis of Malawi’s political moment, warning that the return of former president Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika to State House comes with formidable challenges and little public optimism.
In a strongly worded post, Chirwa noted that the September 16 election marked the third consecutive time since 2014 that an incumbent has been voted out, a pattern that has stripped away the once-assumed advantage of incumbency in Malawian politics.
“Malawi has voted out the government of Rev. Lazarus Chakwera and brought back to power Prof. Peter Mutharika with a substantial electoral victory,” Chirwa wrote. “We can now say that the power of incumbency is no longer an advantage in Malawian elections.”
But he said that the democratic cycle of change has not yielded better governance. Instead, he argued, Malawi has been in free fall since 2009: deepening poverty, a collapsed economy, soaring unemployment, and state institutions “that no longer function.”
“Nothing works in that country, and life is a nightmare for the majority of the people,” he charged.
Despite this grim assessment, Chirwa praised Malawians for refusing to give up on democracy. “Despite the betrayal they experience at the hands of politicians on a daily basis, they have not shirked their responsibility to exercise the only power they have — to change an underperforming government.”
Chirwa said Mutharika returns to power with “very low expectations” from the public, recalling his “unqualified failure” during his first term between 2014 and 2019. He outlined three immediate challenges:
- Mutharika is “much older and more frail” than when he first assumed office.
- With only one term left, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) risks being consumed by succession battles.
- The country is “in a deeper hole now than in 2014.”
Chirwa also pointed to opportunities if Mutharika can seize them. He argued that the former president’s broad-based electoral mandate — stretching from “Nsanje to Chitipa, Salima to Mzimba” — offers a chance to abandon tribal politics and unite the country.
He further urged the DPP to heed the electorate’s repeated message over the past 16 years: end corruption, nepotism, tribalism, incompetence, and theft of public resources.
Finally, Chirwa said Mutharika must confront his own limitations and surround himself with a competent, loyal team focused on Malawians’ welfare.
“The fact that expectations are low can be a blessing,” Chirwa wrote. “It means there is no immediate pressure to perform, but that is an opportunity to surprise all of us.”
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We are tired of mlakho wa alomwe group as the only priority tribal grouping in our country. All tribes must be equally prioritised.
These so called scholars from abroad are not sincere in their analysis as a broader description of them is ” Cowards”. They failed to brave the hard conditions motherland has been going through since time immemorial. After getting educated from the hard earned taxies of the poor ancestors, they fled into foreign land instead of staying put to help motherland overcome her troubles. They now busy shedding crocodile tears over the woes in Malawi. Shame , shame and very shameful
So true I feel the same but the vice president must help us I believe she is capable of bringing change when given a chance