President Peter Mutharika has expanded his Cabinet from 24 to 28 in a reshuffle that has seen the Ministry of State scrapped and Ministry of Natural Resources, Energy and Mining split into two. In a statement signed by Chief Secretary in the Office of the President and Cabinet Justin Saidi, the President also drafted into his Cabinet four new faces who have taken up deputy minister roles, increasing the number of deputy ministers from three to seven. “In exercise of the powers conferred upon him under Section 92(1) of the Constitution of the Republic of Malawi, [the President] has reshuffled the Cabinet,” reads the statement.
The President has scrapped the Ministry of State, a portfolio held by Lilongwe City Mtandire-Mtsiriza legislator Alfred Gangata who is now heading Ministry of Natural Resources that is now delinked from Ministry of Energy and Mining headed by Chiradzulu Midima member of Parliament (MP) Jean Mathanga. Previously, Mathanga headed the combined Ministry of Natural Resources, Energy and Mining. The changes have also seen Mutharika moving Zomba Changulume legislator Feston Kaupa from Transport and Public Works to Ministry of Defence, replacing Thyolo Luchenza Municipality MP Chimwemwe Chipungu who has moved to Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development.
On the other hand, Chipungu has fitted into the shoes of Rumphi North MP Jappie Mhango who has taken over Kaupa’s previous portfolio. In his full Cabinet hired on October 30 2025, three weeks after his inauguration on October 4 following his triumph in the September 16 2025 General Election, Mutharika had a Cabinet of 24 members. However, yesterday the President roped in two legislators, namely Thoko Tembo of Neno North MP Constituency as Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development and Likoma MP Charles Chilambula as Deputy Minister of Health and Sanitation.
[paywall]
Mutharika has also appointed two non-legislators as deputy ministers. They are former Blantyre City Central MP Chipiliro Mpinganjira as Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Democratic Progressive Party national governing council member Edgar Tembo as Deputy Minister of Industrialisation, Business, Trade and Tourism. Commenting on the changes, Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences developmental scholar Andrew Kaponya said the reshuffle demonstrates that Mutharika is trying to reconfigure government, which he said is a normal exercise within the powers vested in him.
“I am sure within the three months he [Mutharika] has been in power, he has already sampled what may work and what may not work, hence informing him how the Cabinet should be structured,” he said. Section 92(1) of the Constitution constitutes a Cabinet “consisting of the President, the First Vice-President, the Second Vice-President and such ministers and deputy ministers as may from time to time, be appointed by the President” while Section 94(1) of the Constitution empowers the President “to appoint ministers or deputy ministers to fill vacancies in the Cabinet”.
[/paywall]
