With the change of guard at Capitol Hill, a few names come to my mind. They include Kamlepo Kaluwa, Jane Ansah, Steven Maseya, Charles Mchacha, Vuwa Kaunda, Mark Botomani, Patricia Kaliati, Norman Chisale, Atupele Muluzi, Francis Mphepo, Greselder Jeff wa Jeffrey, Saulos Chilima.
Kamlepo Kaluwa will be remembered for serving as a Cabinet Minister for one of the shortest periods of time. Three months. Out-going president Peter Mutharika roped him into his Cabinet on March 19 2020 alongside a few other people to bolster his re-election bid. Kamlepo jumped ship—dumping People’s Party (PP) on whose ticket he defended his Rumphi East seat on May 21 2020—after first winning the position in May 2014. If only he had stuck with PP! Good luck Kamlepo.
Steven Maseya: His name has been trending after his half-witted statement that the Constitutional Court is illegal. Maseya made the statement as part of a cadet locomotive put in motion to demonise anything against Mutharika. I understand there is a place at MBC called Guantanamo. I’m afarid it might his next destination.
Jane Ansah—the immediate past MEC chairperson—should do some soul-searching and confess her sins to God. She did all manner of evil to all Malawians except those she fraudulently aided. Her tenure at MEC only served to dent and stereotype the female gender. It’s common knowledge she did not have the spine to fend off the evil forces that were heavily weighing her down. She is still God’s child though. She should seek God’s forgiveness and get reconciled with Him. Life should go on.
Norman Chisale. The enigmatic Peter Mutharika’s most feared and trusted bodyguard. He built a church for his Ntcheu home community at K70 million and donated a 42-seater bus (for K35 million) to Biwi Sunday School Choir. He bought his daughter a K50 million car as a birthday gift. In five years, he has built several houses in town and a lodge. Where did he get all this money?
Charles Mchacha. The DPP’s senior cadet will be remembered for his brazen use of abusive language to an investigative journalist in his rabid bid attempt to silence him.
Mark Botomani and Jappie Mhango. They will jointly be remembered for their connivance to pocket Covid-19 allowances without courting public censure.
Vuwa Kaunda. Another spineless senior DPP cadet who, like Mchacha and Botomani, tried to defend the indefensible. One minute he is taunting and swearing at fellow legislator, Nancy Tembo, over an alleged fraudulent sale of Government land, the next minute, he is falling all over.
Patricia Kaliati. A gallant fighter. Despite being called names by her former colleagues in the blue camp, she never lost her shine. She steered the UTM Party well as SG. This is the party whose pairing with MCP and seven other parties has shown Mutharika the short road to a deserved retirement.
Atupele Muluzi—He has no agenda of his own. He keeps hopping from one boat to another most likely on instruction from his father who is battling a K.7 billion fraud and corruption case. Despite losing his Machinga North East Parliamentary seat he had held for 15 years, Peter Mutharika still saw a silver lining in him. What value was he going to add to DPP?
Greselda Jeff wa Jeffrey—She touts herself as fiti yaikazi (the fiercest witch). She comes across as someone capable of doing the wickedest things so long there is a silver lining. Put simply, she is an epitome of evil. Like Jane Ansah, she is one of the people who give women a bad name.
Saulos Klaus Chilima. In Off the Shelf 233 I touted Chilima for his decision to settle for a lower position in the Tonse Alliance. That move was a turning point in Malawi’s politics. I quote: “And so Chilima had to be the man who gave up his ambition of leading the Tonse Alliance and support [MCP’s] Lazarus Chakwera. Chilima settled for less to achieve the larger good which is to win the election and serve Malawi.” Chilima campaigned with passion and gave his all for victory. Congratulations are in order for all members of Tonse Alliance.
Peter Mutharika: You may rue your relentless attack on courts. But yours is a well deserved retirement. You did your part.
