By Rick Dzida
It is an open secret now that Kondwani Nankhumwa has registered his interest to challenge the incumbent party President of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in the forthcoming elective convention slated for this year.
However many Malawians are wondering if Kondwani Nankhumwa has great chances of knocking out Prof. Arthur Peter Mutharika at this much awaited convention.
This article therefore strives to articulate the strengths of Kondwani that give him an added advantage over his political nemesis, APM.
1. Kondwani is brave
Kondwani Nankhumwa is well-known for his bravery in all his political endeavour. He is not a coward. No wonder he has plucked enough audacity to challenge his own party president despite APM’s wide experience in politics, age and academic fraternity.
Malawians are aware that Kondwani was one of the mid-night DPP crew that was featured on national TV broadcaster cheating Malawians that Bingu wa Mutharika was critically ill in the Republic of South Africa when he had actually kicked the bucket.
2. Kondwani is determined
When Kondwani makes a decision to achieve something, he pulls all the necessary resources till he achieves his goals.
It was Kondwani’s unfaltering determination that propelled him to buy his personal title of Dr. from an unaccredited University without any iota of humiliation or shame.
It is therefore not surprising to see ambitious Kondwani also determined to be the DPP torchbearer for the 2025 presidential elections.
3. Kondwani is an experienced politician
If you think that Kondwani is an amateur in politics, then you will in for a gargantuan surprise.
Kondwani is currently the Member of Parliament for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) for Mulanje Central Constituency.
Furthermore, he has held various positions in government, including Minister of Information, Tourism, and Culture, Minister of Local Government, Minister of Agriculture, and Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Additionally, he also served as the Deputy Leader of the House, and later as the Leader of the House before assuming the prestigious position of the Leader of Opposition in parliament.
Nankhumwa also served as the DPP Vice President of the Southern region before being reshuffled to be the Political advisor of the party.
Obviously, such impeccable political experience makes him much suitable for DPP party and State presidency.
4. Kondwani is youthful
Did you know that Kondwani and APM were born in the same month of July? The only difference is that Kondwani (46) is almost half the age of APM (84).
It is a fact that Malawi has a youthful population with its 51% being under the age of 18 according to 2018 population census. Furthermore, people aged between 15 and 64 years represent 54% of the population.
With this statistical background, won’t it be fair and realistic if Malawi is led by a middle-aged person like Kondwani Nankhumwa?
Unfortunately, most of the Malawian youths will not have a say in the forthcoming DPP elective convention.
5. Kondwani is development conscious
Kondwani Nankhumwa has not been an idle member of parliament for Mulanje Central Constituency. In fact, he has a litany of infrastructural developments attributable to his name.
Recently in 2023, Kondwani left his comfort zone in the city to inspect developmental projects in his own constituency such as Kadewere milk bulking facilities and Tambala Community Day secondary school.
In 2021, Kondwani became an exciting news headlines that he splashed a colossal sum of 10 million kwacha towards football and netball trophy.
If people think that Kondwani Nankhumwa is only generous to his constituency, then they are wrong because in 2017, he distributed ambulances, motorcycles and bicycles worth 25 million Kwacha in the whole district of Mulanje.
6. Kondwani is hardworking
In 2018, the Islamic Commission For Justice (ICFJ) named Kondwani Nankhumwa as the most hardworking minister in the APM’s government administration.
Speaking after the award, the then ICJF Chief Commissioner, Shaibu Ajasi, well articulated, “We went to the Constituency of Honourable Nankhuumwa secretly to monitor the developments he has done since 2014, and to confirm his loyalty to his constituents since he was elected, and we were satisfied that he deserved the honor”.
7. Kondwani is financially solvent
Political campaigns need a strong financial stamina which Kondwani Nankhumwa proudly possesses.
It is not surprising that Kondwani Nankhumwa and his supporters have been financing logistics and meetings that aimed at literally snatching the party’s leadership from the incumbent president, Peter Mutharika.
In 2017, Nyasatimes tabloid reported that Kondwani was one of the 5 top cabinet ministers who had amassed unexplained colossal wealth within a short period of time.
The same Nyasatimes online newspaper alleged that Kondwani and the Malawi Defence Commander, Griffin Supuni Phiri were implicated in the aborted multimillion dollar military equipment worth $ 54 million for the procurement of 500 vehicles from Ashok Leyland. One wonders how many dubious transactions had gone through without being detected.
8. Kondwani plays politics right away from the grassroots level
From the humble beginnings of being a journalist through being the Director of elections for DPP to being the Vice President of DPP for the Southern region and being the current Leader of opposition in parliament, Nankhumwa has interacted with many people of all walks of life.
It is widely believed that a great political leader should be able to connect with party grassroots, traditional leaders, religious leaders and most importantly ordinary people in the society. It is on record that Kondwani can easily relate with every sect of the society.
9. Kondwani is a democrat
Many people are wondering as to why Kondwani Nankhumwa is stirring unnecessary pandemonium in DPP.
The truth of the matter is that as a bonafide citizen of Malawi, Kondwani Nankhumwa is simply exercising his democratic and constitutional rights. Whether such endeavours are to his benefit or to his political suicide, time will tell.
As a bonafide citizen, Kondwani Nankhumwa is eligible to vie for party’s presidency. Even the DPP constitution does not bar him to stand for presidency.
The Constitution of Malawi too does not restrain Kondwani from standing as a presidential candidate of any political party in Malawi.
Furthermore, Kondwani Nankhumwa as a bonafide citizen of Malawi has a constitutional right to seek court’s interpretation whenever he feels aggrieved. In other words, Kondwani is playing a pivotal role of a democrat.
10. Kondwani is DPP’s bulldozer
If Hon. Chimwendo Banda is termed as a bulldozer in the mighty Malawi Congress Party, so too is Kondwani Nankhumwa now. Of course Dr. George Chaponda used to be termed DPP’s bulldozer.
For instance, Kondwani bulldozed his way to the position of the leader of opposition in parliament. It was not a surprise that the Speaker of the National Assembly, Mrs. Catherine Gotani Hara was involved in choosing Kondwani Nankhumwa as the current leader of opposition despite the fact that DPP as a party endorsed Dr. George Chaponda as its leader of opposition.
As a bulldozer, Kondwani publicly staged an internal DPP coup d’état in which General Secretary of DPP, Greseder Jeffrey, called for the National Governing Council (NGC) meeting where Kondwani Nankhumwa publicly announced , “Chipanichi sitinachitenge?”, literally meaning “Haven’t we taken over the party?”
As a bulldozer and former Director of elections of DPP, Nankhumwa’s ambitions of knocking out APM at the next DPP elective convention should not be underestimated.
In conclusion, much as Kondwani Nankhumwa has these impeccable traits, it still remains a mystery that Kondwani Nankhumwa can knock out Prof. Peter Mutharika who has all it takes to defend his current position of being the party’s president.
Furthermore, it is my plea that tolerance and forgiveness must reign in the aftermath of the DPP elective convention. If APM wins, Kondwani should be allowed to work cordially with the party.
In the past, when the former Speaker of National Assembly, Chimunthu Banda, lost to APM at an elective DPP convention, he chose to quit active politics.
In the same vein of the unlikely event that Kondwani Nankhumwa wins at the DPP elective convention, Kondwani should forget the past and take care of his political father, APM.
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