Just after being unveiled as the running mate to Dr. Dalitso Kabambe in what was billed as a fresh and forward-looking duo, Dr. Matthews Mtumbuka’s past has exploded into public scrutiny threatening to derail what was meant to be a powerful electoral ticket.
Credible sources have confirmed that Dr. Mtumbuka, a well-known technocrat hailed for his digital transformation leadership across various sectors, was dismissed from Helios Towers Africa, where he served as Chief Executive Officer, after facing serious allegations of sexual harassment.
The scandal reportedly involved at least three women who stepped forward with formal complaints, prompting the company to initiate a disciplinary hearing.
However, Mtumbuka is said to have resigned just before the disciplinary process commenced, a move insiders say was calculated to avoid public embarrassment.
Despite his resignation, Helios proceeded with the internal hearing and went on to formally dismiss him, citing gross misconduct.
Further investigation has revealed that similar allegations trailed Mtumbuka during his time at Airtel, where multiple complaints were registered against him, although they never reached the same level of public or legal scrutiny.
This fresh exposé raises serious integrity concerns for the Kabambe–Mtumbuka ticket, which has been campaigning on the promise of “clean, competent, and transformative leadership.”
Dr. Kabambe, a former Reserve Bank of Malawi governor, is yet to respond to our questionnaire on the allegations against his running mate, and efforts to reach Mtumbuka for comment were unsuccessful by press time.
The revelation now places the new ticket of Kabambe and Mtumbuka under immense pressure. Political analysts say this could be a major credibility blow, especially among urban, educated, and female voters who had seen the duo as a modern alternative to the aging DPP camp.
“This is not just a PR disaster; it’s a fundamental contradiction of the values that Mtumbuka has been preaching. You can’t talk about ethics and integrity while yourself faces such a scandal,” said one Lilongwe-based governance expert.
Opposition parties, particularly those in the MCP and DPP camps, are already sharpening their knives, with whispers of “hypocrisy” and “rot in the so-called clean alliance” circulating on social media and WhatsApp groups.
Sexual harassment, particularly in the corporate world, has become a serious liability issue, both reputationally and legally. In developed democracies, a candidate’s career-ending scandal of this magnitude would have prompted an immediate withdrawal from public life. In Malawi, however, political accountability is often subjective and filtered through party loyalty and tribal affiliations.
What remains unclear is whether Dr. Kabambe knew about Mtumbuka’s past before announcing the running mate, or whether his vetting process failed to unearth what now appears to have been an open secret in corporate circles.
“Everyone in the telecoms and investment world knew something had happened at Helios. If Kabambe didn’t know, it’s an indictment on his vetting team. If he knew and went ahead anyway, it’s even worse,” a senior journalist who covered the telecoms beat during Mtumbuka’s Helios years told this reporter.
Political insiders fear this may be the beginning of deep cracks within the newly formed alliance, particularly with UTM loyalists, many of whom were uneasy with Kabambe’s recent defection and alliance-building strategy.
If the controversy escalates, it could even force a reshuffle of the ticket before the campaign peaks in August.
