China based presidential aspirant Jani Grey Kasunda has used his Christmas and New Year message to reflect social-economic challenges, warning that the festive season comes at a time of deep hardship for millions of citizens.
While acknowledging that the period is traditionally associated with joy, family and unity, he noted that the period has a different meaning for many Malawians.
“This period is about feasting. Yet thousands of Malawians will be fasting, not by choice but by circumstance,” Kasunda, who seeks to contest in the 2030 Presidential elections, said.
Citing the 2025 Malawi Vulnerability Assessment report, Kasunda pointed out that “over 4 million people are experiencing acute hunger with thousands at risk of extreme food insecurity,”
He described the situation as a national moral concern that cannot be ignored during a season of celebration.
The former National Assembly employee appealed to citizens to embrace solidarity, urging them to share what little they have with those in need.
“I appeal that during the festive season let us share the little we have with a neighbour in need,” he said, adding that shared burden and blessing is the true unbreakable spirit of Malawi.
Reflecting on the year coming to an end, Kasunda described 2025 as deeply painful for many Malawians.
“As we leave 2025 we look back with pain at how the outgoing year has been unkind on many fronts,” he said, referring to the loss of lives through “senseless murders and fatal road accidents among other tragic incidents.”
Kasunda also highlighted the economic strain facing households, saying hardship is now evident in everyday market transactions.
“In our markets we feel the pinch of scarcity and the relentless rise in prices,” he said, noting that “even a basic commodity like sugar has become a luxury and the Kwacha in your pocket buys less each week.”
He argued that the current situation falls short of the country’s founding ideals.
“This is not the Malawi our ancestors envisioned,” Kasunda said, adding that “the Malawi of today is not a fate we must accept.”
Looking ahead, he framed the coming year as a critical moment for national choice and direction.
“The coming 2026 is not just another year. It is the beginning of the march toward 2030,” he said, describing it as “a defining moment in which we must begin to choose in our hearts and in our communities a new direction.”
Positioning himself and his movement within that future, Kasunda said, “the People’s Revolution and I, are not just offering seasonal greetings. We are offering a new path to the future, a people-centred political landscape for the Malawi we will build together in 2030.”
He concluded by extending festive greetings while outlining priorities his movement seeks to pursue, including improved public safety, ending hunger through a national irrigation drive and boosting local production to stabilise prices and create jobs.
