President Peter Mutharika has pledged his administration’s commitment to inclusivity and accountability in governance, stressing that gender balance, merit and national unity will be reflected in appointments to senior public positions.
The President, who was inaugurated on October 4 after his victory in the September 16 General Election presidential race, made the commitment during the swearing-in ceremony of Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet Justin Saidi, his deputy Stuart Ligomeka and three Cabinet ministers at Sanjika Palace in Blantyre yesterday.
Mutharika said his administration will not tolerate discrimination or favouritism in the recruitment and appointment processes.
The sworn-in ministers are George Chaponda responsible for Foreign Affairs, Joseph Mwanamvekha at Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning and Development and Minister of State Alfred Gangata.
Mutharika, who has made a comeback after a five-year hiatus, said inclusion of women in leadership positions should not be treated as a matter of tokenism, but as a strategy for progress.
He said women have demonstrated exceptional capability in driving institutional reforms and innovation.
In apparent reaction to criticism on the composition of his partial Cabinet and public service appointments, the President said: “In this class of ministers and civil servants, I will be appointing over 200 people. I have only appointed nine and people start complaining that there is no woman. But we will have a government that is diversified, that embraces all segments.
“So, don’t accuse me of being insensitive to gender equality. You are accusing a wrong person. It is very important that in this country, women must participate fully in running this country.”
Mutharika commended the banking sector for having women in most senior positions and urged both the public and private sector, including civil society organisations, to emulate the example.
The Gender Equality Act (GEA) prescribes 60:40 ratio in appointments, meaning 60 percent of either gender should be balanced with 40 percent of the other.
The President also issued a stern warning to non-performing and corrupt public officers, saying his administration will not tolerate misconduct. He also cautioned civil servants against complacency, saying “the honeymoon is over”.
Mutharika said civil servants must embrace reforms and move away from slow and costly bureaucratic culture of conducting physical meetings which continue to drain public resources.
“Malawi is a nation of meetings. No one wants to discuss issues on the phone. Now I want our civil servants to cut physical meetings and embrace phone call or virtual meetings,” he said.
In an interview after taking his oaths of office and allegiance, Saidi said he will not defend civil servants who perform their duties against the Mutharika administration’s vision to develop the country.
He said Malawians should
expect a vibrant civil service.
Said Saidi: “I call upon all civil servants to do justice and help the President to uplift this country. Our government will make sure that it provides resources to institutions such as the Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Office of the Ombudsman to make sure that they do their job well and clean out the corruption mess that has been there before.”
Dignitaries at the ceremony included First Vice-President Jane Ansah and Alliance for Democracy (Aford) president Enock Chihana— the country’s Second Vice-President-designate.
On Sunday, Mutharika made his first appointments after winning the September 16 2025 General Election with 3 035 249 votes against former president Lazarus Chakwera of Malawi Congress Party’s 1 765 170 votes.
The appointments also include Lieutenant General George Jafu as Malawi Defence Force Chief of Defence, Richard Luhanga as Inspector General of Police and Kiswell Dakamau as director general of State Residences.
Yesterday’s function was held at Sanjika Palace after initially being planned for Mutharika’s private residence in Nyambadwe, Blantyre. The President is yet to move to the official residences.
