The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has accused UTM president Dalitso Kabambe of nursing personal frustrations after he publicly attacked the DPP’s record under former President Peter Mutharika.
DPP says Kabambe’s sentiments are less about policy and more about being passed over for the vice-presidential slot, an assertion UTM has dismissed.
Kabambe stirred controversy during whistle-stop rallies in Mulanje and Thyolo, where he asked supporters where he took a swipe at DPP, saying it failed to run the economy under its current leader.
“Between the late Bingu [wa Mutharika] and Peter [Mutharika], who performed better? Which regime between the two performed much better? It is obvious that DPP under Peter failed, right?
“This means we don’t need this DPP under Peter, not so?” said Kabambe, who served as Reserve Bank of Malawi governor during Peter Mutharika’s regime.
Kabambe also cited scenarios such as the academic freedom saga claiming that as Minister of Education then, Mutharika failed to resolve the contentious issue.
He further claimed that it was when Mutharika was Minister of Foreign Affairs that United Kingdom diplomat Fergus Cochrane-Dyet was expelled from Malawi, and further purported that he failed to resolve a Judiciary strike in his capacity as Minister of Justice then—all signaling lack of decisive leadership by Mutharika.
But DPP spokesperson Shadric Namalomba said in a statement on Friday that Kabambe’s frustrations stem from Mutharika’s decision not to pick him as running mate.
Namalomba said: “The DPP understands Kabambe’s frustrations. His anger stems from the fact that, despite hijacking the UTM, a party he believed would propel him to the vice-presidency; Mutharika did not choose him as running mate.
“Malawians must remember Mutharika said in selecting a running mate, he sought a person of integrity, patriotism and a God-fearing heart, qualities that Kabambe does not possess.”
Namalomba further claimed that Mutharika foresaw Kabambe’s ambition to ride on his back—claiming Mutharika’s record and legacy as his own, solely to advance his personal bid for the presidency—which was rejected.
Nation on Sunday yesterday reached out to Kabambe on his mobile number, but reacting to DPP’s statement, UTM Party spokesperson Felix Njawala laughed off Namalomba’s sentiments. He said there is no reason for Kabambe to be frustrated as claimed by the DPP.
He said if Kabambe was not a patriotic individual with high levels of integrity, he would not have been hired as Reserve Bank of Malawi governor by the same DPP administration under Mutharika’s leadership.
He cited Kabambe’s track record during his tenure as Reserve Bank of Malawi governor, saying it is enough proof of how competent he is.
Njawala said: “I think the spokesperson [Namalomba] is undermining the intellect and wisdom of Mutharika. What he should know is that APM could not appoint an incompetent person for such a big position. Honourable Namalomba is very conversant with these issues. In fact, APM maintained Dr. Kabambe for the remainder of his term due to his performance.”
But in subsequent rallies in the Southern Region during the week, Kabambe is on record as having publicly encouraged people not to vote for the DPP for its poor governance trajectory, among others.
In a written response yesterday, political analyst Wonderful Mkhutche said Kabambe’s sentiments against the DPP leader did not necessarily signal any frustrations.
Mkhutche said Kabambe’s sentiments were a normal exchange of words during the campaign period.
“The fact that he said this in Mulanje, where DPP is popular, concludes the matter. Dr. Kabambe wanted to make a point against the DPP in order to place UTM and himself as the best option for the people in the area,” he said.
In a separate written response, another political analyst Ernest Thindwa said exchanges between UTM Party and DPP may be surprising on the basis of the personal relationships between the two leaders.
He said: “However, the origins of UTM and failure to secure an electoral alliance with DPP provide some insights pointing to the ruffling of some feathers off the UTM hierarchy which might have invoked emotions, giving rise to unnecessary attacks on the character of DPP leadership.
“With second round possible, one would expect to focus on issues during the campaign rather than personality to retain favourable inter-party relations which could prove decisive in the runoff.”
Kabambe dumped DPP in July 2024—a month to the party’s elective convention. Despite speculation that he would join UTM Party, Kabambe at the time released a statement saying he made the decision after “much reflection and consideration”.
While in the DPP, Kabambe harboured ambitions of contesting at the party’s elective convention on the presidency. But prior to the convention, Mutharika said he would contest at the DPP convention where he went unopposed.
