Kabambe exposes his ignorance: Frustrated UTM leader disgruntled after losing grip on UTM, busy campaigning for 2030

By staff contributor

Malawians today woke up to another press briefing from UTM President Dalitso Kabambe attacking President Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika and the DPP-led government. But what Kabambe displayed on Wednesday as Malawi marks one year since the September 16, 2025 elections was not policy.

It was ignorance, frustration and desperation from a visionless leader who has lost confidence in his own party.

Kabambe claims the DPP has failed to deliver. The facts show the opposite. He says Malawians expected lower prices and jobs.

What he does not tell Malawians is that when President Mutharika took over on September 16, 2025, inflation was at 28.5 percent, the Kwacha had collapsed, fuel queues stretched for kilometers, sugar and cement had disappeared and the economy was off-track with no IMF program.

One year later inflation is down to 20.8 percent, GDP is up to 3.8 percent from 2.7 percent, the Kwacha has stabilised at 1,734, fuel is available and the IMF program is now at an advanced stage of negotiation. That is direction. That is progress.

Kabambe talks about cost of living yet he fails to acknowledge that his own economic theories are discredited.

This is a man who presided over economic chaos as Reserve Bank Governor. Malawians remember. He talks about borrowing and debt. He says debt was K24 trillion and could go to K40 trillion.

He is lying. A classified performance report by development partners shows public debt increased by only MK1.5 trillion in President Mutharika’s first year to MK23.9 trillion, with Debt-to-GDP dropping from 93 percent to 91 percent.

Under the MCP government he supported, debt exploded by MK18.8 trillion from MK3.6 trillion to MK22.4 trillion in five years. Who should lecture Malawians on debt? Not Kabambe.

On foreign exchange and fuel, Kabambe is again ignorant. For five years Malawians suffered forex shortages under his allies. Today under President Mutharika, fuel is available. Shops have sugar and cement.

That is what Information Minister Shadric Namalomba was saying and he is correct. Malawians no longer spend nights at filling stations. That alone is a huge achievement.

Kabambe throws figures around about corruption at Blantyre Water Board K20 billion, Southern Region Water Board K4.7 billion, ESCOM K11.8 billion, NOCMA K1 billion and maize imports K38.8 billion. Where is the evidence? Where are the investigative reports? This is the same tired politics of allegations without proof.

The same classified report rates corruption scandals at 2/10 under President Mutharika compared to 8/10 before. Drug stock in hospitals is now 85 percent compared to 15 percent.

State House discipline is 10/10. That is why diplomats are hailing the September 16 decision. Kabambe is busy manufacturing scandals because he has no message.

He talks about food insecurity saying 2.3 million in 2025 and two million in 2026.

He forgets to tell Malawians that the DPP has restored food security rating to 9/10 from 2/10, removed secondary school fees from K59,000 to zero, pushed enrollment from 36.64 percent to 42.98 percent and raised MSCE pass rate to 59.26 percent.

These are real figures affecting real people, not his imagined 5 million figure for 2027.

Kabambe accuses the DPP of nepotism and tribalism yet the same development partner report shows tribal appointments dropped from 9/10 under the previous regime to 2/10 under President Mutharika.

The use of party thugs to intimidate opponents is now almost non-existent. Who is tribal here? Malawians know who practiced tribalism and regionalism.

He also brings in Vice President Jane Ansah and the Speaker of Parliament.

This is cheap politics. Vice President Jane Ansah is respected and is working with President Mutharika.

There is no interference. Kabambe is trying to create divisions where there are none because his own party is divided.

The truth is Kabambe is disgruntled and frustrated. He has lost confidence in UTM.

UTM is now a visionless party after the demise of its founder. Kabambe failed to hold it together. He is now busy campaigning for 2030 before the official campaign period.

That alone is a sign of pressure and panic. He is not offering solutions. He is campaigning out of fear that by 2030 UTM will be irrelevant.

Malawians voted for food security, fuel availability, fiscal discipline and a corruption-free government.

In one year President Peter Mutharika has delivered on all those fronts.

The September 16 anniversary should be respected and commemorated as government spokesperson Shadric Namalomba said.

Kabambe should stop exposing his ignorance. He does not understand economics, he does not understand governance, and he does not understand what Malawians want.

He is just a frustrated politician looking for relevance in 2030 when Malawians are focused on development today under President Mutharika.

Malawi is moving forward under the DPP. Kabambe is stuck in campaign mode four years too early.