Malawi Congress Party (MCP) has said its national executive committee (NEC) members who are resigning are free to go, stating that in a democracy, the party cannot force them to stay.
Barely days after the resignation of MCP deputy director of strategic planning Chris Chaima Banda; MCP’s deputy secretary general Gerald Kazembe yesterday confirmed the departure of second deputy director of research Alekeni Menyani.
“We respect his [Menyani] decision, but the party is going through a phase of reflection and will bounce back,” he said.
MCP spokesperson Jessie Kabwila said in a separate interview yesterday that people cannot be forced to stay in the party.
She said after facilitating a smooth transition of power, MCP is now focusing on post-electoral reflections, but could not reveal the actual activities lined up for their political post-mortem.
Said Kabwila: “Those who are leaving are very free. This is a democracy. We do not force people to stay with us. If they feel like they would rather go and join the other side, that is okay. It is a free country.
“We will reflect, take stock and do a postmortem properly and put measures to make sure that in 2030, we are back in government. But we cannot sit here and explain what we are going to do.”
When contacted yesterday, Menyani refused to comment, describing the matter as internal and referred The Nation to the party’s secretary general.
In a letter dated September 25 2025, addressed to MCP secretary general Richard Chimwendo Banda, Menyani cited the party’s “indecision” and a “lack of strategic clarity” as his reasons for leaving.
He said: “Since 2009, I have had the privilege of serving in the NEC, walking with the party through 10 years in opposition and witnessing six years in government.
“I believe it is time to hand over the mantle to a younger generation of leaders who can bring fresh energy, ideas and direction to the MCP.”
In an earlier interview, Political Science Association spokesperson Mavuto Bamusi said the resignations reflect the deepening political corruption where individuals only associate with a party when it is in government.
He observed that if left unchecked, the development could signal the beginning of the end of MCP as it is a sign of politics of greed and self-enrichment.
“This could be the beginning of a trend as we may likely see more MCP officials jumping ship. It reveals the dissatisfaction that senior MCP members may have had with the party’s state of intra-party democracy and weak leadership that has cost them power,” said Bamusi.
