Inside APM, Jane Ansah rift

A private trip. Public outrage. A press conference.

A stripping of power. And on Monday, a Cabinet meeting the First Vice-President (FVP) says she knew nothing about. The rift between President Peter Mutharika and FVP Jane Ansah has reached a critical point, exposing deep mistrust at the top of the Executive.

According to Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) officials, senior Cabinet ministers and aides from both sides, the breakdown began not with policy differences, but a collapse of trust triggered by Ansah’s trip to the United Kingdom (UK) last December. The latest flashpoint came on Monday when Second Vice-President Enoch Chihana chaired a Cabinet meeting in Lilongwe on July 27. Ansah’s office told The Nation she was “not aware” of the meeting.

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Hours later her team released a video of her arriving at Capital Hill. It was the clearest signal yet of a cold war between the first and second highest offices in the land. The rift began with a series of incidents that multiple government and DPP sources say were interpreted as defiance, poor communication and an attempt by Ansah to assume authority beyond assignments sanctioned by the President.

In late December 2025, government travel documents were leaked. The files allegedly showed plans for a K1.9 billion, 23-person State-funded trip to Nottingham, UK, for what Ansah’s office said was a private visit. Back then, Ansah’s husband, Bishop Addo Ansah, was in the UK.

At a time of austerity, the documents sparked fury. On December 11 2025, Foreign Affairs Secretary Chauncy Simwaka wrote to the Malawi High Commission confirming a “private visit” from December 26 to 10 January. On December 23, the FVP’s office disputed the figure, but gave no cost.

The next day, Information Minister Shadric Namalomba said it would be five officials at K168 million. As pressure mounted, Mutharika intervened. On December 31 he stated: “The Vice-President assured me that she would use her private resources on her trip.

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