PP chooses candidate for Mzuzu mayoral position
Done and dusted. Musongwe Ward councillor Judith Chiumia has confirmed a deal cemented by People’s Party (PP) councillors to elect her mayor for Mzuzu City.
Before Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) announced official results for the May 20 Tripartite Elections, The Nation uncovered PP’s moves to use its numbers—having won eight out of 15 councillors in the city—to catapult Chiumia to the mayoral chamber.
In an interview on the sidelines of a team-building debate organised by the National Initiative for Civic Education (Nice) Trust on Saturday, Chiumia confirmed being put in the frame for the mayoral seat.
“Indeed, an agreement was made and I am excited at the trust shown in me. I am a focused person, development conscious and with a lot of experience so far,” she said.
Chiumia holds a business administration diploma and public relations certificate from South Africa where she spent 11 years with Mpumalanga Development Corporation until 2004. Before going south, she worked with Mandala Limited in Blantyre as secretary.
According to Mzuzu City Council chief executive officer Thomas Chirwa, all councillors from the Northern Region will be invited to a meeting “to give them a fairer picture on how to appoint a mayor without looking at party affiliation, but the abilities and qualifications of the candidate”.
Egbert Chibambo is the last councillor to have held the position of the city’s mayor from 2000 to 2005.
Creteria to choose a mayor should not be based on numbers but merit. This is slogan Northerners have championed throughout years. Do not bring anyone will not hear our views as technocrats with proper paper that the outside world envy. Chirwa please caution those half-baked opportunists from the dead north.