Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) faithful strongly hold on to the belief there are many ways of killing a cat. This is in the context of the party’s octogenarian presidential torchbearer Peter Mutharika, who is unwell and frail. He should, therefore, not have been forcing himself to engage in stressful activities that are physically and mentally well beyond his abilities.
This far, senior DPP officials feel their 85-year-old presidential candidate in the September 16 General Election is still the best and strongest person to fulfill their aspirations. This is despite the evidence weighing heavily against this position. With 38 days to the polling day, all other 16 presidential candidates are going up and down, crisscrossing the country, wooing Malawians to give them their vote on September 16 2025. I have lost count how many rallies and whistle stops Mutharika’s strongest contender, the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) leader, Lazarus Chakwera, has conducted since the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) opened the floodgates for campaign period on July 14 2025.
But Mutharika has showed up at only one such function. This was during the launch of his party’s campaign at Njamba Freedom Park in Blantyre on August 3. Even his legs could not carry him out of the vehicle. He spoke from the open top Land Rover. Although he spoke with a commanding voice, he kept referring to the voting day as September 14 instead of 16, a clear indication he may be losing memory.
Earlier in the day, he was absent from the party’s launch of the manifesto at Sunbird Mount Soche in Blantyre leaving it to his running mate, Jane Ansah, to preside over the all-important event.
I am sure if Mutharika had a way of influencing dates for receiving presidential nomination papers, he would have asked for a later date for the exercise. On July 18, when he presented his nomination papers, he struggled to walk up the small steps to the podium at BICC. Earlier as he arrived at the venue, his larger-than-life close protection team heavily shielded him ensuring the media got no chance of capturing him as he stepped out of the car into the hall.
Truth should be told, Mutharika should not have returned from South Africa where he was receiving treatment. He only did so to meet MEC’s deadline for submission of the papers.
Now he must traverse the country. His party can throw him on the campaign trail, but is his body and mental staying power up to the mark? Going by the 2020 experience, when he was stronger but still left almost the entire campaign to his electoral alliance running mate, Atupele Muluzi, in the court-sanctioned presidential campaign, he is likely not to. That time, Mutharika only conducted three campaign rallies against Chakwera’s daily marathon whistle stops across the country. Mutharika went on to lose the election.
My gut feeling is that DPP and Mutharika are now in a catch 22 situation. Having elected the former president as its torch bearer in the high-stakes September 16 elections, there is now no reneging, for good or for bad. Mutharika and DPP faithful know this but what can they do? And come to think of it. It is not worth it?
Mutharika is not poor. I am sure he has not thrown himself into this battle for money. Apart from his savings from his long teaching career at United States universities, as a former president, Section 5 of the Presidents (Salaries and Benefits) Act, also entitles him to a tax-free gratuity and a salary which is 50 percent of the incumbent president’s pay. Mutharika receives these benefits.
Other benefits are a house or house allowance, as he resides in a personal house, free food, free electricity and water, two cars, free medical services abroad and a personal physician, free air travel, government funded holidays abroad, ability to import duty-free vehicles. A former president is also supposed to have a 30-member staff, including six security officers, four gardeners, personal secretary and two drivers.
With all these benefits and in his not-so-envious condition health-wise, what is Mutharika still looking for? Is he not better off just enjoying his retirement benefits at his beach Page House? Perhaps, more important is how he would govern the country should he win the election. I shudder to think of some of the people who surround him who would be running this country. Granted, Mutharika is not a child. In fact, he has argued that he does not have to be told what is good for him. But we all know what ill-health in old age, can do to ones faculties. All said, what is happening to Mutharika is disserve to his life. No one at his age and in his state should be doing that.
