Malawi: Chakwera Fires Eight Ministers

By Joseph Dumbula. [caption id="attachment_104234" align="alignnone" width="1200"] President Chakwera[/caption] President Lazarus Chakwera has moved to fire eight of his cabinet ministers marking the Malawian leaders first reshuffle in the year 2023. This after he said in his New Year’s Day address that he will name a new Cabinet focused on maximizing the country’s limited resources to improve service delivery. Chakwera reduced ministerial posts from 30 to 25, including deputy ministers, and removed ministerial portfolios for himself and deputy Saulos Chilima. The Malawian leader, who dissolved his entire Cabinet last year because of corruption allegations against ministers, has since replaced the eight with new faces. Among those sacked were Information Minister Gospel Kazako, Local Government Minister Blessings Chinsinga, Community Development and Social Welfare Minister Patricia Kaliati and ruling Malawi Congress Party's Secretary General Eisenhower Mkaka, who was Environment Minister. The President has also appointed a deputy minister to Local Government, Unity and Culture from the opposition Democratic Progressive Party which is led by his predecessor Peter Mutharika. The promise generated interest from a nation that wondered why he should maintain a 30-member Cabinet comprising the president, vice president, 20 ministers and eight deputies in a struggling economy. His initial 31-member Cabinet in July 2020 was criticized for having family members, unequal gender representation and too many ministers from his home district of Lilongwe.