Vice Chancellor steps in as absence fuels speculation over president’s wellbeing
President Peter Mutharika has missed the University of Malawi (UNIMA) graduation ceremony as rumours about his health grip the nation.
The first session of the graduation has traditionally been presided over by the sitting president, who also serves as chancellor of public universities in Malawi.
In Mutharika’s absence, Vice Chancellor Professor Samson Sajidu presided over today’s session at the University of Malawi’s graduation hall in Zomba.
The absence will stir the ongoing debate about the president’s wellbeing. Rumours have been circulating about Mutharika’s health, including reports of a trip to South Africa allegedly for medical treatment. These rumours have not been officially confirmed or denied. However, social media reports suggests that medical experts from South Africa and the United States have occasionally been flying in attend to the 85 year old president.
Mutharika was recently under fire from opposition leader and former running mate Atupele Muluzi, who demanded the president address the nation directly over the fuel and electricity crises instead of sending cabinet ministers to do the heavy lifting for him.
His absence from the graduation, where the Vice Chancellor stood in for him just like the cabinet ministers have been doing, is likely to intensify those calls and add fresh momentum to the health speculation.
