APM vacates Sanjika
The country’s immediate past president Peter Mutharika has officially vacated Sanjika Palace in Blantyre and moved to Mangochi pending government allocation of his retirement home in accordance with his benefits.
In a statement made available to The Nation yesterday, outgoing presidential press secretary and spokesperson Mgeme Kalilani said the former president has since temporarily moved to the lakeshore Chikoko Bay State Lodge in Monkey Bay.
Said Kalilani: “At the moment, he has moved to Chikoko Bay pending official allocation of a retirement home as government identifies a retirement home for former presidents.”
The social media is awash with pictures of a double-storey home along the shores of Lake Malawi in Mangochi as the former president’s private house.
In a related development, Kalilani yesterday bade farewell to the media after his tenure of office came to an end following the swearing-in of President Lazarus Chakwera on Sunday as the country’s sixth President.
He commended the media for being professional and supporting his office during his tenure. He also urged the media to provide the same support to the incoming team.
Said Kalilani: “In due course, the Office of the President and Cabinet will announce the new presidential press secretary once he or she is appointed accordingly.
“I thank you all sincerely for the unlimited professional support you offered me while I served as presidential press secretary and spokesperson.”
Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) on Saturday evening declared Chakwera winner of the election with 2 607 043 votes representing 58.7 percent, Mutharika had 1 751 877 votes (38 percent) while Peter Kuwani of Mbakuwaku Movement for Development came third with 32 456 votes.
Prior to MECs declaration of the results, Mutharika, an international law professor, described the fresh presidential election as the worst in the country’s history due to what he referred to as irregularities.
