Peter Mutharika shakes DPP politburo
It is a busy week for President Peter Mutharika who is also Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) leader, as he has made changes to the party.
Mutharika has fired the party’s regional governors for the Northern and Central regions. He has replaced Northern Region Governor, Kenneth Sanga, with Christopher Mzomera Ngwira whereas Bintony Kutsaira for the Central Region has been replaced by David Kambalame.
DPP spokesperson, Nicholas Dausi, declined to comment more on whether the party has made other changes.
“I can only confirm the two changes but I cannot comment more. I am not in a court of law,” he said. Sanga Wednesday said he was not shocked by the news describing it as normal and said he would continue serving the party as a member.
His firing comes amid sentiments from other quarters of society saying the DPP is losing its grip in the Northern Region. But Sanga, who has served in the position for seven years, laughed off such claims.
“Everybody is entitled to their opinion; this is democracy. But what I would say is that people should not forget that when the then president Bingu wa Mutharika died, so many people left the party. I helped in gathering up the pieces up North and the party was strong again,” he said.
Kutsaira also said such changes were normal in any democratic political party. “The appointments are meant for the good of the Central Region and the party in general. It is normal. I will continue working with the party and support honourable Kambalame; he is a good friend of mine,” he said.
Kutsaira, a former Natural Resources and Energy minister, was appointed DPP Central Region governor in 2018 to replace Dean Josaya Banda.
Reacting to the appointment, Mzomera Ngwira, a former Member of Parliament for Mzimba Hora, said he was ready to strengthen the party specifically from the grass roots.
Kambalame, who was DPP Central Region deputy governor, could not be drawn for a comment. Mutharika has lately been busy restructuring some departments and agencies, including the Cabinet, which he dissolved last week. The President also reshuffled Malawi Defence Force top tier on Tuesday.
Last week, DDP Southern Region vice-president Kondwani Nankhumwa, during a government event in Chikwawa District last week, openly condemned some of the party’s members for propagating lies over his loyalty to the party.
Mutharika has on several occasions warned DPP officials against jostling to succeed him, saying they should wait for 2023 when the party will hold its elective convention.
