By Burnett Munthali
KASUNGU, Malawi — Former Vice-President Khumbo Kachali injected humour into a high-profile CCAP Synod of Livingstonia gathering on Sunday, joking that UTM Party leader Dalitso Kabambe might have to wait until 2060 before his political fortunes carry him to Malawi’s highest office.
Kachali delivered the light-hearted political jab in Tumbuka while addressing the Synod’s conference at Mtunthama in Kasungu, where Kabambe was seated among an impressive line-up of political heavyweights. The remarks quickly drew laughter and applause from the gathering.
With Malawi’s next general election expected in 2030, Kachali suggested that even that contest might come too early for Kabambe, before humorously pushing the UTM leader’s political timeline decades further to 2060.
Although the former vice-president stopped short of explicitly mentioning presidential elections, the political undertone was unmistakable. His comments were widely interpreted as a playful dig at Kabambe’s ambitions and prospects of eventually occupying State House.
The exchange provided one of the lighter moments at a gathering that has attracted some of Malawi’s most prominent political personalities, underscoring the importance of the Livingstonia Synod as both a major religious institution and an influential voice in the country’s public life.
Among those attending were former President and Malawi Congress Party leader Lazarus Chakwera, Kabambe, Kachali and Second Vice-President Enoch Chihana, bringing together politicians who ordinarily operate from competing political platforms.
The gathering offered a rare scene of political rivals sharing the same platform away from the confrontational atmosphere of campaign rallies and partisan politics. It also reinforced the longstanding role of Malawi’s churches in providing spaces where political leaders can engage across party lines on issues affecting the country.
The Livingstonia Synod has historically maintained a significant footprint beyond the pulpit, particularly in education, health, governance and civic affairs. Its Church and Society Programme describes democratic governance, accountability, human rights and citizen participation among its major areas of work.
Kabambe himself has previously praised the Synod for its independence and public service, while the church has repeatedly challenged political leaders to put the interests of Malawians ahead of partisan and personal considerations.
Against that backdrop, Kachali’s teasing remarks offered a moment of political theatre without disrupting the broader spirit of the gathering. For Kabambe, however, the joke inevitably touched on a serious political question: what comes next for the UTM leader as Malawi’s political parties begin positioning themselves for the next electoral cycle?
Kabambe, a former Reserve Bank of Malawi governor, took over the leadership of UTM following the death of the party’s founding president, Saulos Chilima, and subsequently carried the party’s banner in the 2025 presidential election. The next scheduled general election in 2030 therefore represents another potential opportunity for him to pursue the presidency.
Whether Kachali’s tongue-in-cheek prediction of a much longer wait proves prophetic or merely remains one of the memorable jokes from the Livingstonia Synod gathering will be decided by Malawi’s evolving political landscape.
For now, the former vice-president succeeded in turning a church gathering filled with political heavyweights into a moment of laughter — while simultaneously putting Kabambe’s future political ambitions firmly back into the spotlight.
