Now that Peter Mutharika and his Vice Jane Ansah have ascended to the presidency, the nation’s attention has shifted to the composition of the Cabinet.
Political commentators and lobby groups such as the National Anti-Corruption Alliance (Naca) have weighed in with calls for the President not to hire into Cabinet and senior positions people tainted by corruption and fraudulent behaviour.
Mutharika and Ansah took oaths of office at Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre on Saturday after emerging winners in the September 16 General Election with 56.8 percent of the vote.
The President was yet to appoint his Cabinet and other senior government positions as we went to press at 8pm yesterday.
But in a letter to Mutharika dated October 1 2025, Naca chairperson Michael Kaiyatsa said the appointments will be the first test of his leadership.
He urged the President to promote integrity, saying no individual answering corruption-related charges should be in Cabinet or occupy senior positions in public offices.
According to Naca, by exempting corruption suspects from public positions, Mutharika will send a powerful signal and instil confidence in Malawians that his administration values justice and service to the people.
Reads the letter in part: “Malawi has in recent years witnessed the erosion of public trust, not because of lack of policies or vision, but because individuals facing serious allegations of corruption have been entrusted with positions of power.
“This practice undermines both the moral standing of government and the credibility of its reform agenda.”
Kaiyatsa further observed that excluding corruption suspects from Cabinet and other senior positions will assure development partners and investors that Malawi is committed to promoting good governance.
In the letter, Naca said it wants government to investigate discontinuance of some high profile court cases by Director of Public Prosecutions and ensure that cases that were improperly withdrawn should be revived.
In a separate interview, governance commentator Moses Mkandawire said when suspects hold senior government positions; it makes investigations and prosecution of such people difficult.
He said the safe way is to have court processes concluded and the people cleared before they can be considered for appointment.
Said Mkandawire: “The challenge is that cases take long to be completed, which in turn might also affect rights of such people to hold public positions.
“There is need to balance up on the issue of integrity and the aspect that a person is innocent until proven guilty by the court.”
When contacted, Mutharika’s spokesperson Shadric Namalomba asked for time to check if the letter has reached the President.
However, political and governance analyst George Chaima said in a separate interview yesterday that individuals answering corruption cases should be cleared first before being drafted into the Cabinet.
He also said people with the technical know-how should be put in a Cabinet that should also factor in gender balance and consideration for minorities.
“If he [Mutharika] can form that kind of Cabinet, it will give confidence to the people. If he can focus on those areas I am sure he can do better than before,” said Chaima.
On his part, Political Science Association of Malawi spokesperson Mavuto Bamusi suggested that the Cabinet should be made of not more than 25 ministers and resonate with the country’s long-term development blueprint, the Malawi 2063 Vision (Malawi 2063).
“They should be individuals that have professional experience. They can be politicians, yes, but with experience. Personalities that have integrity. This should be a Cabinet that should be trusted,” he said.
Bamusi further said the new Cabinet should also push forward democratisation, human rights and inclusiveness.
However, legal expert James Kaphale said the position of the law still remains that one is innocent until proven guilty by the courts of law.
He added that there is need to avoid judging people by the public eye.
Said Kaphale: “I know both the President and his vice are lawyers by profession and would want to instil the lost confidence that Malawians had with government because of the happenings of the previous regime. And so Malawians expect them to appoint people of high integrity and probity in public positions who are above reproach.”
During the swearing in ceremony, Mutharika said his administration will go after anyone suspected of abusing public resources, stressing that the honeymoon for looting is over.
