Political analysts have suggested that Reserve Bank of Malawi former governor Dalitso Kabambe could have swayed UTM party delegates’ opinion due to clarity of thought and public engagement programmes he initiated.
On Sunday, Kabambe, who initially joined the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) after retiring from the central bank, surprised some people when he triumphed at the party’s elective convention in Mzuzu City.
As the election management team, led by Maynard Nyirenda, read out results for the UTM presidential race, some aspirants opened their mouths in disbelief while others could only roll their eyes—meaning that they, too, could not believe their ears.
The soft-spoken Kabambe got 636 votes, with Patricia Kaliati getting 21 votes and Newton Kambala accumulating 26 votes.
Engineer and businessperson Mathews Mtumbuka attracted 22 votes.
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Developments in the party—which teamed up with the Malawi Congress Party, Alliance for Democracy, Umodzi Party, People’s Transformation Party, People’s Party, Freedom Party, Malawi Forum for Unity and Development, among others, in the court-ordered June 23 2023 presidential election to unseat DPP—have prompted analysts to say what they make of outcomes at the convention.
Wonderful Mkhutche, for example, felt that Kabambe appeared at the right time when the party needed someone to give it hope.
“Kabambe came to UTM at the right time. He was so clear with his intentions for joining the party. He went everywhere, including meeting with those in party structures, holding public lectures and conducting media interviews.
“So, through these initiatives, he tried to fill the power vacuum left by [former party president, the late Saulos] Chilima. He was actually the first one to register in the minds of many that he could be the next party leader,” Mkhutche said.
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Another commentator Victor Chipofya said Kabambe could have fallen in favour of the people due to his knowledge of economic issues.
“He did not lean much on him being an affiliate of late Chilima. He focussed much on what he could do himself to lead the party and transform the country.
“This is because some of the contestants based their campaign messages on being close to Chilima or being his friend. But the delegates themselves understood that being a friend to Chilima alone was not enough,” Chipofya said.
Kabambe joined UTM in July this year, a month after Chilima died in a Malawi Defence Force plane crash in Chikangawa Forest, Northern Region, on June 10.
The new UTM leader has been boasting that having acquired enough experience in over 20 years of public service, he is equipped to address economic woes that the country is passing through.
However, Chipofya said Kabambe had a daunting task of uniting the party, which was recently thrown in disarray due to leadership differences.
