By Enyichukwu Enemanna
President of Malawi, Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera has relieved at least eight ministers of their appointments in his first cabinet reshuffle of 2023, a statement from the Office of the President and Cabinet says.
The president also reduced ministerial posts from 30 to 25 late Tuesday, including deputy ministers. He did not not allocate a ministerial portfolio to himself himself and deputy Saulos Chilima as was the case in the past.
Among those sacked were; Information Minister Gospel Kazako, Local Government Minister Blessings Chinsinga, Community Development and Social Welfare Minister Patricia Kaliati and ruling Malawi Congress Party’s Secretary General Eisenhower Mkaka, who was Environment Minister.
The Malawi leader dissolved his entire cabinet last year, citing corruption allegations against ministers.
Chakwera has replaced the eight ministers with new faces.
“The appointments are with effect from 31st January 2023,” said Colleen Zamba, secretary to the president and Cabinet.
Chakwera surprisingly appointed a deputy minister to Local Government, Unity and Culture from the opposition Democratic Progressive Party, which is led by his predecessor Peter Mutharika.
Chakwera vowed in his New Year’s Day address, that he will name a new cabinet focused on maximising the country’s limited resources to improve service delivery.
The promise generated interest from a nation that wondered why he should maintain a 30-member cabinet comprising the president, vice president, 20 ministers and eight deputies in a struggling economy.
His predecessor, Mutharika maintained a 20-member cabinet from 2014 to 2019.
