Kondwani Munthali -Malawi

America votes tomorrow  Sometime in 2006 when I was settling down at Harvard's Cabot House, we were having the usual meet and greet with African students that I had just met at Harvard-African Students Association. The three would be my closest team until I left the place. There was a Zimbabwean, a Tanzanian and a summer school student from Benin who was just hanging around. Out of the many topics we spoke of a Harvard graduate, a black senator Barack Obama, whose father was Kenyan and wanted to run for Democrats in 2008. Some Professors at Kennedy School of Government were said to be hosting him somewhere near the Square for some influential in Cambridge and Boston area. The following day at Kennedy School someone pointed at the Senator, but very few paid attention. Here was another black man trying to do the impossible. As the primaries started and he triumphed, everything had changed, even some of the students on campus who were always presumed Republ...

The time I worked for Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC), yes the State Broadcaster- I spent six years there- was the time I knew President Bakili Muluzi's home, a distance from Liwonde, very hot and somewhere where facilities were sprouting up all the time. That was Kapoloma area near Nselema in Machinga. Alongside my colleague and best friends Chancy Muloza, we could spend Christmas week at Liwonde when President Muluzi would be on short leave and we could be waiting for any news. President Muluzi's house at his home village has a small gate to the left opposite the parking lot. This gate faces a brick house he built for his mother and has a small cement pavement towards it from the house. Whenever we were broke after enjoying Liwonde night outs, we could just drive to Kapoloma and strategically place ourselves around this area, for sure President Muluzi either in the morning or any part of day, would never miss to see his mother, now late Gogo Nalikusika. As he went...

Dates for Mzimba central and southwest constituency bye elections will be here from 6am on 9 October 2012 until the official results are announced

President Joyce Banda and Vice President Khumbo Kachali have voluntarily cut down their salaries by 30 percent as part of their support to the current austerity measures, the Vice President has announced. The Vice President made the announcement during he launch of the Malawi Growth and  Development Strategy II and Economic Recovery Plan at the Bingu International Conference Centre in  Lilongwe. “In support of the austerity measures, the President and the Vice President have voluntarily decided to reduce their monthly salaries by 30 percent with immediate effect. Government is also actively considering other cost cutting measures and these will be announced in due course,” said Kachali. On the Economic Recovery Plan, the Vice President said it has identified five strategic sectors that can quickly that can quickly turn around the economy for export led growth and foreign exchange generation. “These are Energy, Mining, Tourism, Agriculture, Transport infrastructure...

Mr. President, Mr. Secretary General, Excellencies Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen Mr. President, allow me to congratulate you, on your well-deserved election to the Presidency of the Sixty-Seventh session of the United Nations General Assembly. My delegation and I would like to assure you of Malawi’s full support during your tenure of office. It is an honour today to address this assembly for the first time in my capacity as President of the Republic of Malawi. As the assembly may be aware, I took office in April of this year after the death of my predecessor, His Excellency Professor Bingu wa Mutharika. On behalf of all Malawians, I appreciate the support that the world gave us during the difficult time in our country. I would like to also particularly acknowledge the support that I received from leaders from Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) and the entire African continent when I ascended into the Presidency. The support that I received is a mark that Africa has i...

JOYCE BANDA, President of  Malawi , said that while joining the world’s leaders and addressing the Assembly as only the second-ever woman to lead an African nation was “a moment of pride”, hers was not a story of individual success but of the achievement of a people who had shown courage and determination in ushering her into office through a peaceful constitutional transfer of power just a few months ago.  “The people of Malawi have made a decisive choice:  they have chosen democracy; the have chosen peace; and they have chosen to work together to realize their destiny,” she said. Turning to the work of the United Nations, she agreed with the Secretary-General that achieving sustainable development for all was the best way to ensure a peaceful and stable world.  Indeed, the greatest threats to peace were poverty, lack of opportunity and lack of hope.  It was unacceptable to her — and should be so for all leaders — that children still suffered from malnutr...

"Right Honourable Khumbo Kachali, Vice President of the Republic of Malawi, sincerely regrets his recent remarks on travels by the Presidency, that he made in Karonga on Wednesday, 12th September, 2012, The Vice President would like to apologise for the pain and distress the remarks have caused to Malawians. The remarks are fully and unconditionally withdrawn."

After some break, the blog is now back full time giving real time breaking news from tommorrow. But will also to do news analysis looking at the major headlines of papers and radios in Malawi. This is something different from daily news breaks and opinion that is given. But it is assumed that Malawians want to find the meaning of some of the news we create as Journalists, real events and the impact on their lives. Personally there are many online reports on my whereabouts. I am about to pursue my dream to set up a media company that starts with an online news and radio and improving social media access to and wquality of news as it relates to Malawi. This is an experiment I would be undertaking after running this blog for almost a year. But for news analysis today the big news is on the front page of The Nation www.mwnation.com and its a call by John Kapito asking the Government of President Joyce Banda to resign. On surface, Kapito can be dismissed as the usual noise maker, whi...

Ilyaas Itimu, is a strange name to many who have never followed Malawis media for long time. But to the media, especially the many upcoming Journalists, he was a friend and father figure who accommodated everyone despite his or her status. Ilyaas, the man we fondly called Ike, died on Monday 27 August 2012. He will be buried today at his home village in Balaka. I met Ike when I joined the MBC newsroom in April 2002. He was a Chichewa Editor, I was that 'vibrant' catch from the print media into electronic newsroom. His first words were, "dont let them change you, fight what is yours always." Since then Ike grew to become a close friend. For 10 years we traveled through different media Houses, but we always came together and shared many. I last had a 15 minute chat with him on his hospital bed at Kamuzu Central Hospital two weeks ago. He told everyone that I would be coming when I had time and he was prophetic that I would see him that day. As a Nurse advoca...

This week is a busy week for the ruling Peoples Party. None of its founding members save for President Joyce Banda is sure if they will make it through the national convention slated for this coming Monday 27th August 2012. Already there are rumours, truths and half truths being perpetrated by candidates all to jostle for the best seats in the ruling elite. The best man and woman will win, but the challenge has been the issue of integration. This week especially Monday will define the role of Peoples Party in Malawi politics and if it can survive beyond the current leadership. Many founders are likely to loose, though many will equally be retained. The secret is how far have you engaged with the electorate. The PP founders come from a challenging background, many sacrificed their personal well beings and joined Joyce Banda and Khumbo Kachali to challenge the autocratic nature that the Democratic Progressive Party had assumed. No one however thought Joyce Banda would be ...

When an African president falls ill, dies: lessons from Ghana By Sishuwa Sishuwa Mon 06 Aug. 2012, 06:00 CAT   [3316 Reads, 0 Comment(s)]   Text size Print ON the afternoon of Tuesday, July 25, 2012, Ghana's President John Atta Mills ceased to breathe after a long battle with cancer of the throat. Mills's health had been a subject of intense debate in Ghana even before he assumed office in 2009. He went missing from the public view for over three weeks, prompting speculation from many Ghanaians that their President was unwell. Opposition parties argued that Ghanaians had a right to know the true health condition of their leader. However, government officials, who never officially confirmed Mills' illness, dismissed speculation about his health as nonsense propagated by opposition elements impatient to wrest power from the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC). Returning from the United States of America, where he had recently been flown for medical ch...

The warrant of arrest is yet to be executed by the Anti-Corruption Bureau. They are hunting for an official from the Malawi National Assembly. Until he or she is arrested we cannot legally name the person. Be assured you will be the first to know! More breaking news later in the evening ,,,,

The New Prices are as follows: Petrol to sold at K485.60 from K441.10 up by 10.09%.  Diesel at K475.00 from K445.60, up by 6.60 %.  Paraffin will now be sold at K390.00 from K367.00, up by 6.27%

Dowa East MP Bauleni Manna has sued the self-styled Major Prophet Shepered Bushiri claiming undisclosed millions for defamation after he allegedly prophesized on MBC TV that a woman had aborted his two months pregnancy. The woman Taonga Jamali was employed by Bushiri as his Secretary and she is named first defendant in the classic law suit that will determine the future of Bushiri who was raised controversy over his claims to have prophetic powers. Zodiak Broadcasting Corporation last month claimed Bushiri who is called as Major Prophet lied to his congregation at Masintha ground when he claimed a reporter from the station was at his prayer rally after being queried about finances. Bushiri is named as a second defendant, while Shepered Bushiri Ministries are third defendant, ECG Church and the Malawi Broadcasting Coporation is the fourth and fifth defendant respectively. The MP through his Laywers filed the summons this afternoon at the Lilongwe High Court claiming that the ...

Details by 5pm Malawian time.... he has been dragged to court for defamation over a prophecy which he claimed an MP asked a girl to abort...

This entry is just a farewell to a friend, diplomat and someone I respect and admire a lot. Benjamin Canavan, the Public Affairs Officer at the US Embassy in Malawi. His tour of duty has ended and he returns tomorrow. He is among the many unacknowledged diplomats that worked around the clock during the transition after the death of President Bingu wa Mutharika. Many will never know of this diplomat who worked tirelessly and asked for all available information but never for once even twitted what was going around. Ben, is an avid follower of this blog, just like another diplomat I know and admire. I have worked with him since he arrived in 2010, a good listener and contributor to every debate we have engaged in. But Ben's contribution to Malawi will be his role in fighting for a free press and what I learnt this evening 'constructive dissent.' Ben has followed every media freedom development with keen interest, supporting media bodies, capacity building for Journ...

The Nkosini, the headquarters of Maseko Ngoni’s crowning ground is small in size, not more that 80 metres by 40 metres, but its surrounding of hard stone mountains gives it’s the authority and right place for crowning yet another influential Traditional Authority of all political times. As you approach Lizwe La Zulu (mispronounced as Lizulu by many), the crowd grows bigger, many in animal skins from head gears to noisy tin garbs around their ankles. The women are either in short skirts, showing part of their backs as they wrap their breasts only with overflowing beads. Suddenly a group of men, starts chanting “bayete Nkosi”, another makes stabbing gestures with his spear while another pretends to throw his club, obviously their staggering movements confirm an eye detection, they are drunk. Beer both Traditional and Modern glassed have been flowing since Friday, Lizulu, well known for its vegetable and fruit market is filled to the beam, but added to its market are many local...

Well I promised to write something everyday about the General Elections slated for May 2014. The count down continues and every political organisation is quite busy looking forward to their lifeline. Sunday 5th August, 2012 was the coronation of Mswati Willad Kanjedza Gomani as Inkosi ya Makosi Gomani V. An event no sane politician would miss. Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Secretary General Wakuda Kamanga was the highest ranking official at the event, of course Nicholasi Dausi, himself a Ngoni from Kanduku area also turned up. The Peoples Progressive Movement President Mark Katsonga was at the event and his Publicity Secretary Redson Munlo told me he was part of the family, were all there. Leader of Opposition John Tembo led his contingent too. It was DPP's acting Leader Professor Peter Mutharika whom I have been interested to sieze an opportunity for any public event and meet President Joyce Banda in person. Unfortunately the DPP leader has been silent and always se...

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent on things that matter”-Martin Luther King Junior. July 20, 2011, was the day Malawians refused to be silent when their country mattered! Song verse of the day: Lucius Banda’s MABALA “Mumati zizakhala choncho mpaka liti abale Anthu a Mulungu sangakhale kulira masiku onse amoyo wawo Analanda Ufumu kalero naupeleka kwa oyenela Ndi chani chingamulake Ambuye Mulungu Wa Chilungamo, Ndi wa Chikondi” After days of tensions, verbal war, intimidating panga knives and display of sheer arrogance of the elected to those who elected them, July 20, 2011 arrived. Tensions were high, an arrogant administration the Late President Bingu wa Mutharika was out of touch with reality. They chose July 20, to “Lecturer”Malawians on what could be done to salvage the situation created by their own arrogance, greed and poor governance. Malawians had a single message: Time up for wanton disregard of Human Rights, Poor Political and Econom...