The year 2025 will be etched in Malawi’s history as the year of the great return.
The political landscape shifted by the September 16 General Election, an event that saw a 76.4 percent voter turnout and a decisive return of Peter Mutharika.
In a result that mirrored the frustration of the streets, Mutharika, the 85-year-old Yale-trained law professor and leader of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), secured a dramatic comeback.
With 3 035 249 votes (56.8%), Mutharika comfortably crossed the 50-percent-plus-one threshold, ousting Lazarus Chakwera who managed 1 765 170 votes (33.0%).
Chakwera, who famously quit the pulpit in 2013 to lead the Malawi Congress Party (MCP), saw his “Promised Land of Canaan” narrative crumble under the weight of a staggering economy and perceived leadership indecisiveness.
Malawians, battered by inflation and fiscal instability, opted for what many termed the “known entity,” returning the mandate to Mutharika based on his promises of economic restoration and strict adherence to the rule of law.
While Malawians looked forward to a “New Dawn” under Mutharika, the closing months of 2025 have been marked by legal battles and corporate instability as “restoration” promised by the DPP began to look, to some critics, more like retributi
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Within a month of taking the oath, the Mutharika administration initiated a sweeping overhaul of State-owned Enterprises (SOEs).
Boards of directors across the board were dissolved and several chief executive officers were abruptly redeployed while others were sent to public universities to serve as lecturers.
For instance, the director general of Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC), the country’s sole public broadcaster, and that of Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (Macra), Daud Suleman, were suspended with vague reasons given.
Worse still, for MBC director general George Kasakula, he was forced by some DPP enthusiasts to apologise to Mutharika in a televised broadcast.
They felt offended by Kasakula’s pre-campaign and official campaign period conduct in castigating Mutharika in a series of programmes.
Mutharika’s administration has since started replacing these corporate executives with individuals appointed in acting capacity and others on permanent basis.
Governance expert Undule Mwakasungula said in an interview the practice negatively affects corporate governance in most State institutions, creates instability, loss of institutional memory and low staff morale as leadership changes come with fear and uncertainty.
“It also undermines accountability because some leaders see their loyalty as being towards political masters rather than to the public,” he said.
