Opinion: Chimwendo, Mumba in Wrong Term

Was Mumba’s Snub Really a Mistake or a Message?

By all accounts, Kamuzu Day in Mzuzu was meant to be a unifying event an opportunity to reflect on Malawi’s founding principles and celebrate the progress of the nation.

But instead, what stood out was a moment of glaring omission: Malawi Congress Party (MCP) Secretary General Richard Chimwendo Banda’s failure to mention Minister Vitumbiko Mumba while listing Cabinet Ministers from the North.

Let’s be clear: this was not a slip of the tongue. Chimwendo went methodically through Northern Region districts, calling out names with calculated political precision. But when he arrived at Mzimba, a district that proudly claims Mumba a key Cabinet Minister he skipped over him entirely.

The crowd noticed. They didn’t hesitate. They chanted: “Mumba! Mumba!” forcing Chimwendo to backtrack and mumble something about “forgetting.”

Forgetting? A Cabinet Minister? At a national event? It’s hard to buy.

This “mistake” feels far too convenient. Mumba’s omission didn’t happen in a vacuum. It comes just months after the highly disputed MCP primary elections in Mzimba Central, where Mumba’s loss raised more questions than answers. As the party’s Secretary General, Chimwendo was—and still is—expected to offer clarity on the matter. Instead, he has remained silent. Now, during a major regional appearance, he forgets to mention the very person at the center of those controversies?

Whether deliberate or not, the optics are telling. Chimwendo’s actions suggest an ongoing effort to sideline Mumba, or at the very least, to test the waters of public sentiment about his relevance in the region. But the crowd’s reaction was equally loud and clear: they still stand with Mumba.

The MCP leadership must remember that the North is watching. Every misstep, every snub, and every “forgetful” moment chips away at trust and raises doubts about the party’s commitment to fair representation. If unity is truly the goal, then selective memory cannot be part of the strategy.

Chimwendo may claim it was a mistake. But to many of us, it looked more like a message.