Kabambe, Bandawe get the nod, Kaliya told to fill paperwork gaps

During the race to replace UTM Party founding leader Saulos Chilima in November 2024, Dalitso Kabambe trounced three other candidates, including Mathews Mtumbuka to step into the boots.

But during presentation of presidential nomination papers to Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) at Bingu International Convention Centre (Bicc) in Lilongwe yesterday, Kabambe named Mtumbuka as his running mate in the September 16 General Election.

He singled out corruption, tribalism and incompetence as three evils stifling the country’s progress.

In a bid to create suspense on his choice of running mate, Kabambe, a former Reserve Bank of Malawi governor, arrived at Bicc driving a Caterpillar-branded excavator in the company of Engineer Newton Kambala, a UTM Party founding member and one of the losing candidates in the November presidential race.

The gesture electrified hundreds of UTM supporters who thronged the Bicc auditorium clad in an array of party regalia from simple red T-shirts to elaborate designer outfits.

For a moment, many at the venue thought Kambala was the chosen running mate. However, as it turned out, Kabambe named Mtumbuka, an engineer and corporate executive, as his running mate.

Kabambe had hardly finished mentioning Mtumbuka’s name when the supporters broke into celebration with some, including Kambala hugging and congratulating Mtumbuka before he joined Kabambe at the podium.

In his address, Kabambe said Malawi was endowed with abundant natural resources and a capable workforce, but politicians have derailed progress through rampant corruption.

He said it was heartbreaking that Malawi remains among the world’s poorest nations despite its potential.

Said Kabambe: “Seven out of 10 Malawians are poor people who live in grass-thatched houses. They also lack basic necessities like potable water and electricity. They can’t afford to fend for themselves because prices of food are too high. People are only surviving from hand to mouth.”

Every promise to tackle corruption or build infrastructure was met with deafening applause and chants from the supporters.

Kabambe also pledged that a UTM Party victory on September 16 would consign nepotism, tribalism and corruption to history, adding that there is urgent need for a comprehensive overhaul across multiple sectors.

He said: “We need an overhaul of all the systems, including agriculture, mining, tourism, education, health, manufacturing and finance.

“We want to start the process of feeding ourselves as a nation, producing enough that we can process and export, and exploiting our mining sector to develop agriculture.

“In our infrastructure, we will sort out the problems in our health system, in our education system, and in our power and energy sectors, and see the country begin to move on a path of real, sustainable growth and development.”

In an interview with The Nation after submitting his papers, the presidential candidate said he settled for Mtumbuka because of his extensive corporate experience and business accomplishments.

According to Kabambe, 47-year-old Mtumbuka, who holds a doctorate in engineering science from University of Oxford in England, has worked for local and international corporations and now seeks to apply this expertise in the public sector to benefit Malawians.

He said: “The blend is crucial. I am an economist. He brings complementary skills. In the past, commodity companies were the largest in the world in terms of turnover. Today, technology companies dominate. It is the technologically advanced countries that are thriving.

On potential alliances with other parties, Kabambe was clear, stating: “For the sake of winning, UTM wants to win the first round.”

Addressing concerns about potential friction common between presidents and their deputies, he projected some confidence, saying: “For the first time, the country will have a President and a Vice-President who can look at each other as equals in terms of running the affairs of government. We are a team.”

Taking his turn, Mtumbuka said Kabambe is an economist focused on tangible sectors like mining, factories and irrigation while he will  complement him.

Commenting on Kabambe’s choice of running mate, political analyst Mavuto Bamusi said Kabambe is trying to take on board the late Chilima friends to preserve the party’s political legacy and identity.

He said: “The choice of Mtumbuka is also an attempt to create a professional and technocratic image of the party. However, Kabambe has lost the opportunity to achieve the gender balance.”

On his part, Ernest Thindwa described the choice as commendable.

“It takes care of both political and assumed competence considerations. It is likely to be appealing to non-party identifiers and the youth,” the analyst said.

Yesterday, MEC also received nomination papers from Akwame Bandawe who is leading Anyamata, Atsikana, Azimayi political party. He named Asiyatu Abuli as his running mate.

On the other hand, independent  candidate Revelend Hadwick Kaliya was told to redo his paperwork as some requirements were missing.

Kaliya first contested in the annulled 2019 presidential election when he finished last with a paltry 15 726 votes.