…urges religious leaders to intervene
Questions are being raised over how effectively Vice Presidents have functioned in Malawi’s democratic era, with UTM Vice President Matthews Mtumbuka suggesting the office has consistently fallen short of its intended role since 1994.
Mtumbuka made the remarks on Tuesday during an interview on Luntha Television, where he reflected on the working relationship between Presidents and their deputies, arguing that vice presidents have often been sidelined or only briefly given meaningful responsibilities before tensions emerge.
He argued that this is not a new challenge, saying the pattern has persisted across successive administrations since the return to multiparty democracy.
“We know that the President can delegate responsibilities to anyone. We also know that in Malawi, since the advent of democracy in 1994, there has never been a Vice President who has served smoothly and effectively from the beginning to the end of a term without problems.
“I am hoping for a day when we will have a Vice President who is fully active, who is effectively utilized by the President. They are often only given responsibilities for a short period, maybe a few months or up to nine months, and then things start to fall apart,” said Mtumbuka.
He further said the challenge is not unique to Malawi, noting that similar dynamics can be observed in other African countries such as Zambia, but insisted the issue remains more visible in Malawi’s current political environment.
Mtumbuka pointed to what he described as coordination gaps within the highest office of government, saying such weaknesses affect how national duties are shared and executed.
He also cited the Nsipe event, where the Vice President was present but another official represented the President, describing the situation as embarrassing and a sign of poor coordination at the top level of leadership.
“President is not being fully utilized. What happened in Nsipe was embarrassing, because the Vice President was present, yet someone else was representing the President. It does not look good,” he added.
Mtumbuka further claimed that in many cases the real challenge is not the President himself, but individuals surrounding the President who, according to him, interfere with relations between the country’s top two offices.
“Most of the time the problem is not the President. The problem is the people surrounding the President who create confusion and weaken the relationship at the top,” he said.
He alleged that such individuals often fuel mistrust, particularly around succession politics, which in turn strains the working relationship between the President and Vice President.
Mtumbuka has since called for direct and honest dialogue between the President and Vice President whenever misunderstandings arise, urging them to resolve issues privately in the interest of national development.
He also made a passionate appeal to religious leaders to intervene, saying faith leaders could play a mediating role in resolving tensions at the highest level of government.
“I am took young before our president, but my plea is that these issues should be fixed. If there is disagreement, they should sit down, talk, and move forward,” he emphasized. “I also appeal to church leaders to intervene so that if there is a dispute between the President and the Vice President, it can be resolved.”
He warned that continued internal rifts within top leadership risk slowing down national progress, arguing that Malawi needs unity and focus to advance its development agenda.
