Video: Mutharika flies home on chartered jet as cost of private trips stays undisclosed
President Peter Mutharika has spent 77 days in South Africa on five private trips since returning to power in October 2025. The government in Malawi has not said who paid for the chartered jet that brought him home on Saturday, or how any of the trips were funded.
Mutharika returned to Malawi on Saturday, 31 October 2026, aboard a privately chartered jet after 25 days in South Africa.
He landed at Kamuzu International Airport in Lilongwe under tight security, ending his fifth private visit to the neighbouring country in just over a year.
The government has not publicly disclosed how much public funds are used on the chartered jets. No cost figures have been released for any of the five visits, so it is not possible to say how much, if anything, Malawian taxpayers have contributed.
Mutharika insists he was in control
Speaking after his return, Mutharika dismissed concerns about his prolonged absence, insisting that he had remained in charge of government throughout his stay in South Africa.
“I was in full control of the country and the government,” he said in an interview with State House Press Secretary Cathy Maulidi at Kamuzu Palace, State House in Lilongwe.
He said he had kept in regular contact with Chief Secretary to the Office of the President and Cabinet Justin Saidi, sometimes speaking to him 10 times a day, as well as with ministers and officials of his Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
“So nobody should complain,” he said.
His remarks came amid persistent fuel shortages and electricity blackouts affecting businesses and households across Malawi. Mutharika acknowledged both problems, blamed fuel supply difficulties partly on transport logistics, and said the blackouts should be addressed by December.
Five trips, unanswered questions
The President’s return has renewed questions about how his private travel is paid for. Although the journeys have been described as private, the government has not explained how much of public funds has financed Mutharika’s private trips. Nor has it released any breakdown of the cost of presidential security, accompanying staff or other arrangements during the visits.
The Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) has demanded that government disclose whether public funds are used for the trips, including transport, security, accommodation and officials sent with the President.
Government has so far declined. Asked about the visits, Chief Secretary Justin Saidi told The Nation: “Private is private. It is not public.”
Five trips and 77 days later, the bill for the President’s private travel has not been made public.
Watch: Mutharika insists he was in full control during his stay in South Africa
