Malawi Cables
Malawi Congress Party (MCP)’s most powerful minister, Richard Chimwendo Banda, is reportedly boasting that President Lazarus Chakwera cannot fire him—claiming he holds the key to the MCP government.
This bold assertion comes amid growing speculation of internal strife within the ruling party, just five months before the general elections.
Reports indicate that Chimwendo Banda has fallen out of favor with several senior party officials, including cabinet ministers, as concerns mount over his failure to unify the party.
In a monitored conversation, Chimwendo Banda was allegedly heard declaring that President Chakwera is powerless to act against him, saying the president can “do nothing but watch.”
Chimwendo Banda is also accused of orchestrating the downfall of fellow parliamentarians and former National Executive Committee (NEC) members, including Lobin Lowe, Eisenhower Mkaka, and Kezzie Msukwa.
Sources allege he is now targeting current NEC members and aspiring candidates, aiming to replace them with loyalists in a bid to consolidate power ahead of a potential leadership challenge at the next MCP convention.
According to insiders, at least three rival camps have formed within the party, with Chimwendo Banda at the center of the deepening divisions. Despite the growing discontent and fears that the party is on the verge of collapse, he is said to remain confident in his untouchable status.
State House sources have revealed that President Chakwera has summoned Chimwendo Banda for a closed-door meeting to address the widening cracks within the party and his failure to resolve the internal conflicts, despite serving as the MCP’s Chief Executive Officer.
Ohava Ohava Thapella
