Trouble brews in MCP ahead of convention
Four Malawi Congress Party (MCP) regional chairpersons have asked the party’s secretary general (SG) Eisenhower Mkaka to reverse his decision stopping regional committees from filling vacant positions ahead of the elective convention.
The letter is a direct response to Mkaka’s communiqué to regional chairpersons dated April 16 2024 in which he ordered that filling of vacancies at regional level should be sanctioned by his office.
Yesterday, Zebron Chilondola of Central Region, Joseph Chavula of North-South, Augustine Chidzanja of Lakeshore and Peter Simbi of Southern Region wrote Mkaka, telling him that the MCP constitution does not approve of his actions.
They argue that their actions are in line with Article 25(6) of the MCP constitution and longstanding regional committee practices.
Reads the letter in part: “If recent activities conducted by the regions are hindered due to the lack of sanction from your office for the co-opting of new members into the committees, then the elections held at the party’s convention in 2018, where you were elected into office, should be reviewed.
“At that time, all regional committees comprised office-bearers who were co-opted into their positions without any sanction from the office of the secretary general.”
Further, they argue that the practice of co-opting new members into the regional committees has been customary across all regions.
Some regions, they add, filled positions as recently as February 2024, while others have regularly incorporated new members to ensure smooth regional operations and never consulted the SG, because they simply complied with MCP constitutional provisions.
Mkaka yesterday declined to comment, saying he had not received the said letter. He said he needed to verify the signatures as well.
He said: “Even if only four of our six chairpersons have purportedly signed it, those signatures have to be verified. All in all, I can’t comment on something I have not received.”
MCP is set to hold its elective convention from August 10 to 12 this year ahead of the September 16 2025 General Elections.
