The political deadlock between the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and its key alliance partner, the Alliance for Democracy (AFORD), appears to be nearing resolution as Enoch Kanzingeni Chihana is set to be sworn in as Second Vice President tomorrow at Sanjika Palace in Blantyre.
The swearing-in ceremony, scheduled for 2:00 PM, will take place alongside the induction of newly appointed cabinet ministers Dr. George Partridge and Rosa Mbilizi—a move that signals President Peter Mutharika’s attempt to project unity and momentum after weeks of internal wrangling.
But beneath the apparent calm, trust remains fragile. Political analyst Lyson Sibande has welcomed the development but cautioned that the DPP cannot be trusted until it fully explains its decision to strip Chihana of the Ministry of Agriculture, which was reportedly promised to him as part of the alliance agreement.
“This is good news. Hon. Chihana must get sworn in so we can move forward,” Sibande said. “But we need an explanation on why the Ministry of Agriculture has been taken away from him. That’s a breach of the alliance agreement—unless Chihana himself misled the public that the DPP had offered him that portfolio.”
Sibande described the Ministry of Agriculture as “a cash cow” with huge funding and procurement interests, suggesting that the DPP’s reluctance to hand it over might be tied to vested political or business motives. He further urged Parliament to enact legislation that binds political parties to their pre-election alliance agreements, warning that political deception undermines Malawi’s democratic credibility.
In a separate critique, Sibande also faulted the Mutharika administration for tampering with constitutional titles, noting inconsistencies in references to Dr. Justin Saidi’s office.
“Today they call it Chief Secretary, another day Chief Secretary to the Government, yet the Constitution clearly establishes it as the Secretary to the President and Cabinet,” he said. “This is unconstitutional, and tomorrow I’ll show what the courts have said about creating strange names for legal offices.”
As Chihana prepares to take his oath, Malawians are watching closely—not just to see whether the alliance will hold, but whether the DPP has truly turned a new page or is merely rehearsing its old habits of political double-dealing.
