The opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has come out strongly against recent remarks made by Malawi Congress Party (MCP) spokesperson Jessie Kabwila, accusing her of attempting to deflect blame and whitewash her party’s alleged involvement in violent attacks during recent citizen-led protests.
During a press briefing held at MCP Headquarters, Kabwila defended her party and pointed fingers at the DPP, claiming the opposition party was behind the recent unrest.
“We have evidence, and we even played the audio, where DPP operatives admitted they were planning and funding the demonstrations, including identifying who Sylvester Namiwa was receiving money from. These were not people’s protests. These were commercial demonstrations engineered by the DPP to create instability,” said Kabwila.
Kabwila further challenged the DPP leadership to take responsibility and accused former President Arthur Peter Mutharika of avoiding accountability.
“It’s unfair for the DPP to sacrifice poor Malawians, people who live hand-to-mouth—in their quest to destabilize the country for political gain. If the DPP really believes in these protests, let their president be the first to march next time. Leadership is about being present. He should walk with them instead of sitting far away and expecting things to go well,” she said.
Reacting to the development, DPP Presidential Spokesperson and the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Shadric Namalomba, condemned Kabwila’s comments saying she is failing to take responsibility for the ruling party’s alleged role in suppressing demonstrations.
Malawians, according to the DPP, were expecting Kabwila to issue a formal apology for what they described as alleged MCP-backed attacks on peaceful demonstrators, including Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI) Director Sylvester Namiwa during protests which were aimed at pushing for the resignation of Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) officials over what protesters say was a botched electoral process.
“Instead of addressing the serious issue of political violence and acknowledging her party’s alleged orchestration of these attacks, Kabwila resorted to petty name-calling and baseless accusations aimed at the DPP,” Namalomba said.
DPP has distanced itself from the protests, stating clearly that it had no hand in organizing them, but defended the demonstrators’ right to express discontent with what they termed as “the MCP’s failed leadership.”
Namalomba cited soaring prices of essential commodities, including sugar, salt, fertilizer, and fuel, along with a crippling shortage of forex, which he said has devastated small and medium businesses.
“Jessie Kabwila owes Malawians an apology, not insults. It’s high time the MCP took responsibility for the poverty and hopelessness it has inflicted on our people. Empty press conferences filled with self-praise cannot erase the lived reality of ordinary Malawians,” added Namalomba.
The DPP says it is currently focused on preparing to rescue the country from what it calls the MCP’s “administrative collapse,” with Professor Mutharika spearheading policy reforms that the party hopes to roll out after the 16th September 2025 elections.
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