President Lazarus Chakwera today stormed Dowa District, drawing huge, jubilant crowds in what analysts say is the clearest sign yet that the Central Region is firmly sealed off for the Malawi Congress Party (MCP). From the stage, Chakwera told supporters to prepare not only for registration but for voting day itself. The crowd roared back, fired up by a leader who has been working the campaign trail from dawn to dusk. “Game iyiyi ndi wadya ntoliro,” Chakwera declared — a local saying that means he will fight to the very end until victory is achieved.
For Peter Mutharika, the 84-year-old challenger, the message from Dowa could not be louder. Central Region is a no-go zone. Analysts say his desperate trip north to Mzuzu is a sign of weakness, not strength. “He knows he has lost the centre. Now he’s gambling in the north,” one political observer said. But the odds are stacked against him. Chakwera has already ringfenced the northern region by recruiting Vitumbiko Mumba, a rising star, and unleashing him across Karonga, Chitipa, Mzimba, and Nkhata Bay.
The contrast is striking. Chakwera is campaigning like a marathon runner, on the road every day from 6 a.m. until late at night, energising crowds and consolidating support. Mutharika, by comparison, is described by critics as a tired old tree trying to bear fruit in the dry season. His rallies are fewer, his stamina limited, his campaign fragile.
Analysts believe the outcome is already tilting. “At best, Mutharika can only force a runoff,” one strategist argued. “But the momentum, the machinery, and the message are all with Chakwera. The DPP chose a candidate too old and too slow for this race. They have themselves to blame.”
In Malawian proverb, “a tortoise cannot win a race against a horse.” And in this race, Chakwera is the horse galloping toward September 16 with unstoppable force, while Mutharika trails, fading into the shadows of history.
