When President Arthur Peter Mutharika reshuffled his Cabinet two days ago, the headline changes were modest: a handful of new deputy ministers and the reassignment of three senior figures. To the casual observer, it looked routine. But to political analysts and governance insiders, the reshuffle was anything but ordinary.
Its true meaning lies not in who moved, but inwhy. But while Gangata’s shift grabbed attention, seasoned observers say the real action lies elsewhere — at the Ministry of Lands. Former Lands Minister Jappie Mhango was moved to Transport, making way for Chimwemwe Chipungu.
Insiders describe the appointment not as cosmetic, but surgical. The Ministry of Lands, they argue, has become one of the most politically exposed and institutionally compromised departments in government, weighed down by years of factionalism, irregular decisions and unresolved disputes. That diagnosis is echoed in a confidential advisory memo prepared by the Institute for Public Sector Ethics and Accountability (IPSEA), an independent governance think tank, seen by this publication.
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Addressed to Chipungu as he prepares to assume office, the memo paints a stark picture: a ministry that has drifted from professional public service into what it calls a “partisan enclave.” The advisory flags particular dysfunction within the Department of Housing, where contract officers appointed under the previous regime remain embedded in influential positions, even though similar contracts were terminated elsewhere after the change of government. Through selective secondments, these officers are alleged to exercise outsized authority, bypassing permanent and qualified staff. The result, IPSEA notes, is blurred accountability and decision-making paralysis.
Whether he succeeds, analysts say, will depend on speed and resolve. The problems are deep, the interests entrenched, and the political risks real. Seen this way, the Cabinet reshuffle was not about personalities, but pressure points.
Gangata’s reassignment may have dominated the headlines, but Lands is where the real test now sits. As one governance expert put it bluntly:“You can reshuffle faces at the top, but if you don’t fix Lands, the cracks in the state will keep widening.”
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