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The Malawi Congress Party has called for greater transparency regarding President Peter Mutharika’s extended absence from the country with party officials arguing that citizens deserve explanations amid multiple domestic challenges. MCP campaign director Moses Kunkuyu told a briefing in Lilongwe that the vice president should speak on the fuel crisis that has disrupted transport and business operations as well as unreliable power supplies that are raising living costs. Kunkuyu noted that public hospitals face essential medicine shortages while water supply problems compound daily hardships for many households according to Nation Online. The opposition raised questions about whether the 87 year old leader might be facing health issues though it acknowledged that such matters could affect anyone and stressed the need for official communication to curb speculation.
Mutharika departed Malawi on October 6 for what the Office of the President and Cabinet termed a private visit to South Africa marking his fifth such trip since he took office. Records compiled by Nyasa Times show the earlier journeys occurred on December 1 2025 for 14 days March 1 2026 for 11 days June 12 for 17 days and August 5 for 11 days. The latest departure was announced only after the president had left Kamuzu International Airport in Lilongwe breaking from the prior pattern of advance notice. No return date has been provided and the government has declined to detail the purpose of any of the visits.
Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet Justin Saidi stated that the trip remains a private matter and that the administration has already communicated as much to the public. Saidi told reporters the president is in South Africa on a private visit and dismissed the MCP intervention by saying he did not believe Malawians had tasked the opposition with raising those concerns. He added that there had been no official communication indicating the president was incapacitated which would be required under the constitution for the vice president to assume additional duties. Saidi maintained that private activities do not necessitate further disclosure according to reports in The Maravi Post.
University of Malawi associate professor of political science Boniface Dulani argued that the president’s role as head of state entrusted with public power requires a balance with personal privacy to prevent rumors from filling information gaps. Dulani told Nation Online that the government should disclose the purpose cost and duration of the trips citing Article 12 of the constitution which states that authority derives from the people and must serve their interests. Human Rights Defenders Coalition executive director Michael Kaiyatsa echoed that personal privacy cannot serve as a blanket justification especially if public resources are involved. Both commentators stressed that transparency would help maintain public trust in governance.
Malawi’s constitution does not automatically transfer executive powers to the vice president when the president travels abroad on private business according to legal assessments published by The Maravi Post. Section 88 establishes the president’s ongoing responsibility for upholding the constitution and providing leadership unless a formal process determines incapacity through a medical board certification. UTM Party leader Dalitso Kabambe had earlier questioned who was running the country during such absences distinguishing private travel from public duties. The framework ensures continuity of government institutions without triggering succession procedures for routine departures.
The debates occur against a backdrop of economic pressures that the opposition has linked to the leadership vacuum it perceives. A Mail and Guardian analysis drawing on World Bank data noted that Malawi’s fiscal deficit narrowed to 8.8 percent of gross domestic product in the 2025 26 financial year even as high interest payments limited social spending. Persistent fuel and foreign exchange shortages have continued despite reported improvements in inflation which declined from 28.7 percent in September 2025 to around 20 percent by August 2026 according to government figures. These indicators form part of the broader context in which opposition voices have amplified calls for accountability.
Mutharika secured victory in the September 16 2025 general election with 3 035 249 votes or 56.8 percent defeating then president Lazarus Chakwera who received 1 765 170 votes or 33 percent multiple outlets including Nyasa Times reported. The Democratic Progressive Party leader had previously served as president from 2014 to 2020 before returning to power last year. He has not undertaken any official state visits abroad during his current term instead delegating regional summits to ministers or Second Vice President Enock Chihana. The pattern of repeated private travel to South Africa has nonetheless sustained discussion over presidential transparency and executive continuity.
