Muli bwanji from Keswick Village! This is the Rorshok Malawi Update from the 29th of July twenty twenty-five. A quick summary of what's going down in Malawi.

Presidential aspirants have started presenting their nomination papers to the Malawi Electoral Commission.

While presenting his papers on Friday the 25th, former president Peter Mutharika of the opposing Democratic Progressive Party confirmed Justice Jane Ansah as his running mate in the September elections. Many were surprised because Ansah was the chairperson of the Malawi Electoral Commission when the High Court nullified the twenty nineteen election results. She was also rumored to be Mutharika’s girlfriend after local media captured the two kissing.

On Sunday the 27th, another opposing party, the United Transformation Movement or UTM, revealed that Doctor Matthews Mtumbuka, an engineering mogul, would be Dalitso Kabame’s running mate. However, his presentation came with a little drama…

As Kabambe, the UTM president, was presenting his nomination papers to the Malawi Electoral Commission, his bodyguard, Callisto Khama Matumbi, was arrested.

The police said Matumbi entered the Conference Center’s premises with a gun. However, the police confirmed that they knew Matumbi was a bodyguard, and said his gun was licensed, which made the arrest senseless.

The arrest was put into question, as the bodyguard was on duty. Some even alleged that the ruling Malawi Congress Party ordered the arrest.

As the elections draw near, a new survey by the Institute of Public Opinion and Research said that former president Peter Mutharika is leading the twenty twenty-five presidential race, with forty-three percent of the registered voters.

The survey, which was released on Monday the 28th, also revealed that President Chakwera is coming in the second position with twenty-six percent, while Dalitso Kabambe is polling at five percent.

Local news said the study was conducted between the 6th and 20th of July across twenty-seven districts. However, the survey was put into question, as a fresh poll might be needed since some voters may have changed their minds following the revelation of running mates.

The Office of the Speaker of the National Assembly dissolved the twenty nineteen-twenty twenty-five Parliament on Wednesday the 23rd, but President Chakwera said it has to reconvene on Tuesday the 5th, to amend the Presidential, Parliamentary, and Local Government Bill. If this legislation remains unchanged, it will stop some people from exercising their right to vote.

The current law says voters must cast their ballots at the polling station where they are registered or have been transferred to. Unfortunately, it discriminates against thousands of registered voters, like prisoners who registered while in prison: if they're released before the elections, they won’t be able to vote.

The Parliament’s reconvening might be a win for democracy and a protection of people’s right to vote.

The International Monetary Fund (or IMF) is pushing for a Kwacha devaluation.

On Wednesday the 23rd, the IMF justified the move, saying they are not trying to make the Kwacha lose value uncontrollably, but are trying to help it move towards a broadly unified exchange rate that flows through official channels instead of black markets. They said this would encourage legitimate trade and investment.

However, the IMF also acknowledged that a currency devaluation will cause higher inflation and impact the country's growth.

The Reserve Bank is yet to comment on the matter, but last month, the Central Bank Governor told local news that unifying exchange rate markets can only happen when illegal markets are removed, and not through devaluation.

Fuel queues are back, but the National Oil Company of Malawi (or NOCMA) is playing everything down and saying the shortage will be sorted out this weekend.

On Tuesday the 29th, NOCMA told local news that on Friday the 1st, Malawi will receive fifty million liters of both petrol and diesel, thanks to Malawi’s new government-to-government deal that we talked about in previous episodes. NOCMA also said the fuel would come in through neighboring countries Mozambique and Tanzania, by road and rail, implying that fuel will come in quickly.

Malawi has been experiencing on-and-off fuel shortages since last year, causing people to get more frustrated with the government every time they have to queue for the commodity.

Next up, the Ministry of Homeland Security recently announced that it has officially resumed processing and issuing passports across the country, following a contract with a new passport-issuing company.

In previous episodes, we mentioned that the Ministry had stopped issuing passports after its system was hacked last March.

Ezekiel Ching'oma, the Homeland Security Minister, said that their new contract with Madras Security Printers means that the disruptions that started in twenty twenty-four due to the cybersecurity breach are now over.

However, questions were raised as passport issuing faults in the past have led to some passports being flagged as fake in foreign countries, thus leading to arrests of traveling locals.

It has been cold and windy with random bursts of showers in most parts of the country. According to a weather update shared by the Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services on Monday the 28th, this weather will go on until Sunday the 3rd of August.

They said the sudden weather change is being caused by south-easterly winds which are blowing over Lake Malawi and other local water bodies.

The Department said that Karonga District in the Northern Region had the coldest temperatures this year compared to recent years, with six degrees Celsius, or nearly forty-three degrees Fahrenheit, last Tuesday.

They have urged people to cover up, stay indoors and out of natural water bodies.

In other news, the National Bank, which is one of the country’s leading banks, launched a Women’s Football Premiership in partnership with the Football Association of Malawi on Saturday the 26th. The games will run from now until February twenty twenty-six.

The Football Association told local media that they want football enthusiasts to support women’s football so that it is as respected as men’s football. The National Bank said that they bankrolled the matches to honor the value that women bring to the country’s development.

The partners also mentioned that locals will get to watch the games for free.

Speaking of the Football Association, the organization is under huge scrutiny.

In previous episodes, we mentioned that Daud Mtanthiko, an Executive Member of the Association, was accused of sexually harassing a member of the women’s national football team in April. He was suspended pending investigation.

However, on Tuesday the 29th, local news revealed that the Association had asked Mtanthiko to resume his role since he had been suspended for four months. The Association’s Disciplinary Committee said they considered multiple factors, including that Mtanthiko pleaded guilty to misconduct, was remorseful, and that he suffered social media ridicule.

However, some people have called this an insult to women and have since urged the Malawi Human Rights Commission to step in.

In entertainment news, on Thursday the 24th, Tay Grin, a local artist and Ambassador for the Ministry of Tourism, announced that they have formed a groundbreaking partnership with a US-based company that will help them submit a lineup of Malawian artists to be considered for the sixty-eighth Grammy Awards which are set for February twenty twenty-six.

He did not mention the name of the partner, but said he would share more details soon.

Still on entertainment, Lawi, a celebrated musician, revealed that his new album, My Father’s Land, would be released on the 27th of September. However, his announcement came with a little shocker: the album would be released exclusively on Vwaza Multimedia, a local music streaming platform, instead of on international platforms like Spotify, as was the case before.

On Wednesday the 23rd, he told local media that he wants to support local platforms while ensuring that he controls how his music earns him money.

The news got mixed reviews from Lawi’s fans. Some applauded him for supporting local platforms, while others felt he had shot himself in the foot and would lose both money and fans by not making his album more accessible.

Aaand that’s it for this week! Thank you for joining us!

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Pitani bwino!