Since she was appointed Secretary to the President and Cabinet (SPC) in June 2022, Ms. Colleen Zamba has NEVER enjoyed the support of top government officials. Reason? Her resolve to end thievery and abuse of public resources.

Zamba – a first born daughter in a family of six children from Dowa district – is highly educated, dynamic and energetic manager, possessing extensive experience in administration and economic issues, having held several strategic managerial portfolios in public and private sectors, particularly non-governmental organization (NGOs) such as the United Nations (UN).

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During the Bakili Muluzi administration, Zamba worked Principal Secretary (PS) designated as Comptroller of Statutory Corporations responsible for the State Corporation in the Office of the President and Cabinet.

She was then redeployed to the Ministry of Finance where she served as its PS responsible for Economic Affairs before being redeployed again to the Reserve Bank of Malawi (RBM) where she served as Special Assistant in the Governor’s Office.

In 2004, she served as Principal Secretary (PS) in Malawi’s Ministry of Trade, Commerce and Industry.

Zamba also coordinated and chaired UN-Inter Agency Group on development of the National Development Plan of Nigeria and Zambia. This involved cultivating a partnership with private sector, civil society and Development Partners Innovation and Judgment.

In Nigeria, she spearheaded support to the sub national gross domestic product (GDP) computation project, the first of its kind in the West Africa Region, leading to government mandating states to legally establish Statistical and Planning Agencies.

While at the UN, Zamba led the UN inter-agency team on integrating Agenda 2030 and 2063 in the seventh National Development Plan as well as led the UN Technical Team in the production of Nigeria 2020.

With such an impressive record of accomplishment, it was not surprising to see Malawi President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera spotting her from the UN Office in Zambia and convinced her to return to serve her nation.

Initially, President Chakwera had appointed her to head the Presidential Delivery Unit (PDU) at the Capital Hill, Lilongwe.

When appointing her to the SPC portfolio, the Head of State expressed his trust and confidence in the capabilities of Zamba, and expected her to “work effectively and to bring sanity and necessary changes in the public sector, without fear or favour”.

As the President emphasized, an SPC is instrumental to the implementation of government policies and presidential programmes across the public sector, as well as the efficient and professional delivery of public services to Malawians by the civil service.

Thus, to be an SPC is an enormous task and position of public trust.

“It requires a person of great courage, because you are tasked with changing a culture that many want to keep the same; even the people that praise and support you today do not realize that there are things in this country that need to change that they themselves will not want you to change, and that their applause may turn to attack when the day comes for you to effect the change that affects them,” said President then.

President Chakwera was quick to point out that there “are a lot of hypocrites who want things to change in public service but do not want to change themselves”.

He added that the position requires a person of great honesty who has to tell public servants truths they do not want to hear and confront wrongs in the public sector whose underlying causes people refuse to be honest about.

“Wrongs like stealing from one’s employer, doing a bare minimum at work as long as you have a job, looking for more and more entitlements for oneself instead of opportunities for Malawians,” said Chakwera.

But the Head of State should be the most disappointed and letdown with the battles some top government officials have launched against his SPC.

Since she took oath of office in June 2022, Zamba has been on the battlefronts, fighting thieves and crooked officials who have been plundering and siphoning public resources into their personal accounts.

She has been ridiculed, and condemned for nothing, but the her pursuit for an effective public and civil service. Zamba’s detractors have designed and executed various schemes, including generation and publication of fake news about her, just to finish her off.

Zamba is not a stranger to the front pages of local dailies and weeklies albeit for wrong reasons. As one writer once rightly observed, the SPC has a victim of smear campaign from her first day in office, and she has had to endure the assault from all angles.

But recently, Zamba was vindicated former Energy Generating Company (EGENCO) Chief Executive Officer who was suspended pending investigations on some issues related to the machines. The suspended CEO used the media to fight Zamba, but when the case went to court, it upheld Zamba’s decision.

There was a protracted case where Hellen Buluma missed no day in attacking Ms. Zamba.

Again, being in a patriarchal society where men would want to exert their masculinity and dominance, there are men who feel uncomfortable and threatened by powerful women like Ms. Zamba, and it shouldn’t be surprising seeing how Ms. Zamba has been tormented.

Here is a qualified woman who goes about doing her work as per her powers derived from the Public Service Act, section 17.

Even at that, the media-driven agenda has not even once made an attempt to mention that the said section is her moral guide, making it more and more believable that there lies a collaborative effort somewhere to get her out of the way so that those behind the scheming can install their preferred person who is easy to manipulate.

Sadly, this court of public opinion also doesn’t have time to look into the issues critically and have the facts correct. It is heart-wrenching that in this day of social media, falsehood always wins over the truth.

*The views expressed in this article are solely those of the writer.

The current public spat between the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and Vice President Michael Usi has attracted attention including mine. But beneath the noise, one might ask, is this really about democratic accountability, or is it political opportunism dressed in the language of integrity ?

Let us be clear. Malawi is in campaign mode right now ahead of the 16th September elections. President Dr Lazarus Chakwera has already moved on with a new running mate, Hon Engineer Vitumbiko Mumba. The now political partnership between Chakwera and Usi is, for all intents and purposes, a formality until the new administration is sworn in. This means the so-called “relationship breakdown” between the two men is largely irrelevant to the current campaign. The President’s focus is on winning re-election and the Vice President’s words are unlikely to derail that.

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And yet, Usi’s recent attacks on the government he serves raise serious questions. How does a sitting Vice President the second most powerful official in the land publicly criticise the same administration he represents? If he truly believes what he is saying, the honourable course is clear resign and speak freely from outside the executive. Anything less risks looking like political theatre.

Let us also not ignore the timing. These outbursts are coming at the peak of campaign season, after Usi was left out as Chakwera’s running mate. Is this genuine concern for governance, or a calculated attempt to distance himself from an administration he knows he will not be part of after September? The bitterness is hard to miss, and the selective nature of his criticisms only strengthens the suspicion that this is more about political survival than principle.

The MCP’s threat to investigate Usi’s alleged unexplained asset growth is predictable in an election season parties will always try to discredit their opponents. But here’s the twist if there is substance to those allegations, civil society should pick them up after the elections and demand full accountability. This is not just about Usi, it is about whether public officials, regardless of title, can explain their wealth.

Ironically, while Usi’s conduct might undermine his own credibility, it also highlights something positive about Malawi’s democracy. The fact that a Vice President openly criticise the government shows a high degree of political tolerance that should not be overlooked. It is a credit to President Chakwera’s administration that dissent within the executive is not met with swift political punishment.

Still, the Vice President’s approach is deeply flawed. Criticism from within government must be consistent, principled, and backed by a willingness to take personal responsibility not simply a convenient positioning tool in a heated election season. Otherwise, it risks being seen for what it likely is political posturing by a man who feels sidelined and is preparing his own next chapter.

The lesson here is simple. Accountability is important, but so is integrity. You cannot claim to hold others to account while benefiting from the same system you are publicly condemning. If Vice President Usi wants to be taken seriously as a champion of good governance, he must decide whether he is an insider working for reform or an outsider holding power to account. Straddling both roles only erodes public trust in him, and in the very idea of principled leadership.

Undule Mwakasungula is a Malawian governance, public policy, and human rights advocate with extensive experience in promoting democracy, social justice, and inclusive development. He is known for his outspoken positions on governance, elections, and accountability.

On June 10, 2024, Malawi was brought to its knees by a tragedy that stunned the nation. A Dornier 228 military aircraft crashed into the hills of Nthungwa in Chikangawa Forest, claiming nine lives, including our sitting Vice President, Dr. Saulos Klaus Chilima, and former First Lady Shanil Dzimbiri. A year later, as the country prepares to remember the fallen, the commemorations are as divided as the reactions that followed the crash.

The Chilima family, alongside his party UTM, is holding a memorial in Nsipe, his home village, where he was laid to rest and where his memory lives most vividly. Meanwhile, State President Chakwera is hosting a separate memorial at the crash site in Nthungwa. If I were the State President, I would have made a different, more unifying choice.

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As a sitting Vice President, Chilima was not just a party leader, he was a national figure, a son of Malawi. If I were the State President, I would have bowed to the mourning family and stood with them and the UTM at Nsipe. I would have recognized that true leadership means setting aside political differences and being present where it matters most: among the people who loved him, in the place where he was buried.

President Chakwera has often publicly stated that he shared a cordial and productive working relationship with Dr. Chilima, despite public skepticism. If that sentiment was genuine, then this memorial was the clearest opportunity to act on it. Standing with Chilima’s family and community in Nsipe would have powerfully demonstrated that the bond was more than political convenience, it was a matter of respect.

The memorial at Nsipe is not a party affair, it is a family affair, a community moment, a national loss. Choosing to commemorate Chilima separately at the crash site gives the impression that the State still views him through a political lens rather than as a statesman who died in service. If I were the State President, I would have joined hands with the family, symbolizing national unity, healing, and respect.

Moreover, I would have directed my advisors and the government spokesperson to prioritize attending the Nsipe memorial, ensuring that the presence of the State was felt where the emotional weight of the nation truly rested.

Chilima and Chakwera were once bound by a shared sense of purpose that reshaped Malawi’s political landscape. In the aftermath of the flawed 2019 presidential elections, the two stood shoulder to shoulder in one of the most defining moments of the country’s democratic journey. Together, they challenged the results in court, not as rivals, but as patriots fighting for electoral justice. Their unity during that legal battle culminated in the nullification of the election and the ushering in of a new administration through the historic 2020 fresh polls. It was a moment that symbolized hope, collaboration, and the power of solidarity, one that makes the current divisions in mourning all the more painful and perplexing.

The investigation into the crash was led by Germany’s Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation (BFU) at Malawi’s request under ICAO Annex 13. An expert from the aircraft manufacturer, General Atomics AeroTec Systems, was involved, and Malawi appointed its own Accredited Representative and Advisers. Despite this, the public remains skeptical. The final report, released just days before the memorial, concluded pilot error, but it has been met with distrust, especially due to State President Chakwera’s initial lack of transparency and the delay in rescue efforts.

If I were the State President, I would have shared the report promptly, explained every detail with clarity, and welcomed public scrutiny rather than retreating into silence. Trust is not restored by withholding information, it is restored by facing hard truths, however uncomfortable.

Separate ceremonies send separate messages. The memorial should have been a unified national event, beginning at the crash site with solemn reflection and ending in Nsipe, where Chilima is buried and remembered by his family, friends, and supporters. If I were the State President, I would have proposed a joint program, ensuring both sites were honored but in a spirit of togetherness.

Dr. Chilima’s legacy should not be caught in a tug-of-war between institutions and parties. If I were the State President, I would have chosen humility over pride, unity over optics, and nation over narrative. His passing was not just a political loss, it was a loss for all Malawians.

In moments of grief, nations either divide or unite. If I were the State President, I would have chosen to stand in Nsipe, not as a ruling authority, but as a grieving nation. Because that is what the moment called for. And that is what Malawi deserves.