How Chakwera Ripped Off Overburdened Malawians Through SONA Tours: APM Departs From Extravagance To Revive Economy

Soon after presenting his State of the Nation Address (SONA) in February 2025, former President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera was on the road to Mzuzu where held a number of engagements with various groups of people, including the youth and chiefs. Disguised as citizen engagements, these tours showcased achievements while burdening taxpayers with costs, including security, transportation, and accommodation.

But in essence, these tours were a stark example of misplaced priorities, draining public resources and exacerbating economic hardships for Malawians. Presidential trips like Chakwera’s SONA tours should be tamed because they divert funds from critical sectors like healthcare, education, and infrastructure development. In a country where 50.7% of the population lives in poverty, and 70% relies on agriculture with limited resources, such extravagance is unacceptable.

Group Village Head (GVH) Loti Chisambi lamented the huge cost Malawians incurred each time Chakwera met the youth and chiefs on petty issues like SONA, arguing the costs associated with these trips, estimated to be millions of kwacha, could have been used to provide medical supplies, construct classrooms, and improve rural roads. A University of Malawi (UNIMA) economics lecturer, who asked for anonymity, described Chakwera’s SONA tours as a classic example of economic mismanagement. “The resources spent on these trips could have gone a long way in addressing the country’s pressing socio-economic challenges,” he said.

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Malawi Congress Party (MCP) lawmakerSylvester Ayuba James criticized Chakwera for prioritizing personal happiness and interests at the expense of the economic hardships of Malawians. “It’s a shame that the former president chose to indulge in such frivolous spending when his people were struggling to make ends meet,” he said. In contrast, President Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika has chosen to depart from this extravagance, prioritizing transparency, accountability, and economic revival.

This pragmatic approach offers hope for addressing the suffering caused by Chakwera’s policies. “President Mutharika’s austerity measures are a welcome change. His focus on fiscal discipline and resource mobilization will help stabilize the economy and improve the lives of Malawians,” said Blessings Chisanga, an economist with the Malawi Economic Justice Network (MEJN).

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