By Wadza Botomani
Veteran journalist Dickson Kashoti has publicly cautioned President Peter Mutharika, questioning the assignment scope of Second Vice President Enoch Chihana. In a direct challenge, Kashoti, identifying as a former versatile investigative journalist, posed a pointed question to the President: “Did you appoint Mr. Enoch Chihana as Second Vice President to undertake northern region projects only?”
Kashoti’s inquiry stems from his observation that since his appointment, Chihana’s operational base has been predominantly the northern region, despite his official residence being in the capital, Lilongwe.
The journalist expressed a strong conviction that this pattern suggests deep-seated partisan politics. He accused the administration of operating with a “tribalistic and regionalistic” mindset, critically summarizing the attitude as “you are a Tumbuka, so you deal with Tumbuka affairs.”
The veteran journalist firmly stated that as the nation’s Second Vice President, Chihana is a leader for the entire state. He argued that Chihana should consequently be given assignments and responsibilities across all regions of the country. Kashoti criticized the current practice of restricting the Vice President to the north, where his duties have reportedly included touring fuel stations, meeting local chiefs, political and religious leaders, civic officials, and attending cultural events.
Kashoti presented this extensive list of localized activities as evidence that the Vice President is being unfairly and inefficiently confined to a single region, contrary to his national mandate.
