The UTM pulled off a dazzling political show on Saturday night. Its manifesto launch was a masterclass in presentation, slick visuals, eloquent promises, and a crowd fired up by the possibility of change. In an election season, UTM’s document christened the People’s Manifesto looked like a serious plan to rescue Malawi.
But politics is not only about documents and delivery, it is about credibility. And herein lies the dilemma for UTM and its flagbearer, Dr. Dalitso Kabambe.
Unless Kabambe and his team confront the ghosts of his past head-on, that “beautiful” manifesto risks being reduced to nothing more than a glossy cover on a rotten story.
Indeed, the optics were strong, live broadcasts, packed halls, and talking points tuned to a nation exhausted by economic pain, not of anyone’s making though but some from the natural and international catastrophes that Malawi has been exposed to in the last five years.
However, if some of these hard questions are not addressed with specificity and evidence, the UTM’s “new broom” narrative is hard to sustain. It is just DPP 2.0 with better branding.
First, the matter of Kabambe’s salary as Governor of the Reserve Bank of Malawi (RBM). Reports confirm he was earning around MK24–30 million per month, an astronomical figure in a country where most public servants struggle below the poverty line. Kabambe insists his package was board-approved and legal. But legality is not the issue here, ethics is.
Malawians who queued for maize, who watched their currency collapse, and who endured fuel shortages want to know. How could a public servant justify pocketing tens of millions each month while the nation suffocated? If Kabambe cannot give a convincing moral argument, his campaign looks like an elitist club defending privilege.
Then there is the infamous “midnight transfer.” Billions of kwacha moved from RBM to FDH Bank on the eve of the 2020 elections. Verified audits flagged these suspicious transactions. This point to the fact that Kabambe presided over a central bank turned into a political ATM for the then-DPP government.
Until Kabambe provides documents and an unambiguous explanation, this will define him. UTM cannot sell itself as a reformist force while dodging questions of financial manipulation tied directly to its presidential candidate.
Perhaps most damning is the IMF misreporting saga. Under Kabambe’s governorship, Malawi was found guilty of giving false numbers on foreign reserves, triggering the loss of trust from key development partners. The High Court ruled that Kabambe’s case, over alleged conspiracy, misleading statements, and money laundering, must proceed.
This is not minor. It is the very heart of his candidacy. Kabambe’s central claim to leadership is his technocratic competence and ability to manage the economy. But if he cannot explain why the IMF was misled under his watch, or worse, if he is convicted during or after the campaign, that competence collapses into suspicion.
The danger for UTM is clear. A manifesto, no matter how well crafted, cannot outshine the character of the candidate carrying it. Unless Kabambe answers these questions, UTM is just another “DPP Team B”, dressed in red (not blue) reformist colors but rooted in the same networks, scandals, and failures that Malawians rejected in 2020.
Already, UTM is fighting an uphill battle. Its founding leader, the late Vice President Saulos Klaus Chilima, was already weakened by corruption allegations at the time of his death. By choosing Kabambe without insisting on full disclosure, UTM is carrying us into the elections without much hope.
There is no denying it, the UTM manifesto is somehow impressive. It tries to speak to the economy, youth empowerment, industrialization, and service delivery. But a manifesto is only as credible as the hands entrusted to implement it. If Kabambe cannot reconcile his past, every promise in that document is just recycled rhetoric.
Politics and governance are not judged by documents alone. They are judged by trust, integrity, and the ability to account for past actions.
Until Kabambe provides answers, not rhetoric, on his salary, the FDH transfers, the IMF misreporting, and the Afreximbank debt deal, his candidacy remains fatally compromised.
Even for UTM followers, the choice is stark. Demand full disclosure from Kabambe, or accept being remembered as “DPP Team B”, beautiful promises, ugly baggage, and ultimately, betrayal of Malawians’ hope.
