Bingu wa Mutharika was a Malawian politician and economist who was President of Malawi from May 2004 until his death in April 2012. He was also President of the Democratic Progressive Party, which he founded in February 2005; it obtained a majority in Malawi's parliament in the 2009 general election. During his two terms in office, he was noted for being the Chairperson of the African Union in 2010–2011, as well as for several domestic controversies. In 2009, he purchased a private presidential jet for $13.26 million. This was followed almost immediately by a nationwide fuel shortage which was officially blamed on logistical problems, but was more likely due to the hard currency shortage caused by the freezing of aid by the international community He died of cardiac arrest in Lilongwe while in office on 5 April 2012, at age 78.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is a political party in Malawi. The party was formed in February 2005 by Malawian President Bingu wa Mutharika after a dispute with the United Democratic Front (UDF), which was led by his predecessor, Bakili Muluzi.
Dr. George T. Chaponda is a Malawian career diplomat and politician who served as Malawi's Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development from 2016 to 2017. He is a founding member of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and is a DPP Member of Parliament from Mulanje district in southern Malawi.
Davis Chester Katsonga is a Malawian politician. He gained the position of Defence Minister on 1 June 2006 during a cabinet reshuffle. He was the foreign minister from early in 2005 until June 2006. Previously he was the minister of natural resources from June 2004 until early 2005, and before that he was the parliament speaker. He was a member of the Malawian parliament, elected as part of the United Democratic Front from 2004 to 2009.
Madame Ethel Mutharika was the First Lady of Malawi and wife of the President of Malawi, Bingu wa Mutharika. Madam Mutharika was born in Zimbabwe. As First Lady, wa Mutharika was known for her charitable work and had established the Ethel Mutharika Foundation in an effort to help the poor of Malawi. wa Mutharika died in Lilongwe after a long battle with cancer at the age of 63.
Madame Callista Chapola-Chimombo is a Malawian politician and the widow of President Bingu wa Mutharika. She served as the First Lady of the Republic of Malawi from 2010 to 2012. Chimombo is a current member of the Cabinet of Malawi as a National Coordinator of Maternal, Infant and Child Health and HIV/Nutrition/Malaria and Tuberculosis. She has also previously served as a member of the Pan-African Parliament, and as the Malawi Minister of Tourism, Wildlife and Culture. As of 2005, she was Secretary of the Malawi Women’s Caucus. Chimombo is a member of the Democratic Progressive Party and a former member of the United Democratic Front (UDF).
Goodall Edward Gondwe is a Malawian economist who has served in the cabinet of Malawi as Minister of Finance since 2014. Previously he was Minister of Finance from 2004 to 2009, Minister of Local Government from 2009 to 2010, and Minister of Natural Resources, Energy and Environment Affairs from 2011 to 2012.
Arthur Peter Mutharika is a Malawian politician, educator and lawyer who has been President of Malawi since 31 May 2014. Mutharika has worked globally in the field of international justice. He is an expert on international economic law, international law and comparative constitutional law. He informally served as an adviser to his older brother, President Bingu wa Mutharika, on issues of foreign and domestic policy from the onset of his election campaign until the President's death on 5 April 2012.
Nyasa Times is an online newspaper providing Malawian news, founded by Edgar Chibaka, who remains its Managing Editor, assisted by Thom Chiumia. It began reporting in late 2006. According to its own website, it received "over 8 million hits per month" in 2010. The publication has on numerous occasion been at loggerheads with the Bingu wa Mutharika government. Mutharika accused former president Bakili Muluzi of bankrolling the online media outfit to publish false stories to tarnish the image of the government. Muluzi denied the accusations.
Professor Peter Nelson Mwanza is a Malawian politician. He was appointed Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development in the government of President Bingu wa Mutharika of Malawi on 17 June 2009. He was reassigned to become Minister of Agriculture and Food Security in a cabinet reshuffle on 9 August 2010.
The 2011 Malawi protests were protests aimed at winning political and economic reforms or concessions from the government of Malawi. On 20 July, Malawian organisations protested against perceived poor economic management and poor governance by President Bingu wa Mutharika and his Democratic Progressive Party. After the first two days of protests, 18 deaths, 98 serious injuries and 275 arrests had been reported. Further demonstrations were organised on 17 August and 21 September The first protest was later cancelled due to the intervention of a UN representative in initiating a dialogue; however, the talks broke down with more protests planned for Red Wednesday through a national vigil.
Dr. Jessie Kabwila-Kapasula is an academic, feminist, educator and activist. Her scholarship focuses on African feminism.
Peter Mukhito is the former Inspector General of Police in Malawi. He comes from Chiradzulu District. He has gained notoriety for his involvement in interrogating Blessings Chinsinga which began the stand off for academic freedom in Malawi between Chinsinga and President Bingu wa Mutharika. He was also involved in the investigation in the death of Robert Chasowa. Mukhito was also the Inspector General during the 2011 Malawian national protest against President Bingu wa Mutharika, that saw 19 Malawians killed.
Ralph Kasambara is a Malawian lawyer, who served as the Minister of Justice and Attorney General since April 2012. He also served as the former Attorney General under the administration of Bingu wa Mutharika during the early part of the administration. After which he became the legal representative of the then Malawian vice-president, Joyce Banda. Kasambara has been a critic of the administration of Bingu wa Mutharika, being vocal about grounds for impeachment and commenting that "wants to be a dictator". He was jailed in February 2012, after thugs went to his office with petrol bombs in an attempted arson plot, he called the police, together with supporters and restrained the perpetrators. Instead he was arrested for kidnapping and torture of the thugs. He was later released on bail, and then arrested again over the faulty bail procedures.
Henry Mussa is a Member of Parliament for Chiradzulu District Malawi. He also served as Deputy Agriculture Minister. He is also a MP for Chiradzulu East under a Democratic Progressive Party Ticket.
The 2012 Malawian constitutional crisis occurred from April 5, 2012 - April 7, 2012 after senior members of the Democratic Progressive Party-led cabinet failed to notify the public of the death of the sitting president, Bingu wa Mutharika on April 5. Instead, cabinet ministers held a series of meetings in Lilongwe, Malawi without vice-president Joyce Banda with the aim of undermining the constitution and Banda's succession to Presidency. News confirming his death had, however, quickly spread across the country through word of mouth, cellphone text messages, Malawian bloggers, Twitter, Facebook, and on listservs by the end of the day on April 5, 2012. Therefore, the failure to announce his death resulted in speculation over the real health of the president and over whether the succession procedures would be followed as outlined in the constitution. According to the constitution, the vice-president takes over but there had been no official word on a successor or communication with the vice-president. Amidst growing speculation, the Cabinet announced that the president's brother, Peter Mutharika, the foreign minister, was the new President of the party on April 6. The Cabinet only announced his death two days after his death, after which Banda became Malawi's first female President.
Agnes Penemulungu is a Member of Parliament for Lilongwe South in Malawi. She was elected on President Mutharika's Democratic Progressive Party ticket.
Raphael (Ralph) Tenthani was a freelance journalist from Malawi. Tenthani was a BBC correspondent and a columnist for The Sunday Times. He was a respected journalist in Malawi well known for his popular column, "The Muckraking". He was well known for providing political analysis on topical issues. He had been the subject of controversy for his candid reporting on political issues. He was very critical of the crackdown on journalism during the Bingu wa Mutharika administration. He was also a columnist for Associated Press, Pan African News Agency, and the Maravi Post.
General Henry Odillo was Commander of the Malawian Defence Force. He was appointed as the commander General of Police in July 2011 after the nationwide protests against Bingu wa Mutharika's presidency in which wa Mutharika accused the organizers of the protest of plotting a coup against him. He replaced General Marko Chiziko. Prior to this appointment he served as Malawi's military attache at Malawi's High Commission in London. General Odillo was dismissed by Malawi's new President His Excellency Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika in June 2014. President Mutharika promoted Major-General Ignacio Maulana to the rank of General and appointed him the new Commander of the Army.
Sosten Gwengwe is a Malawian politician. He was elected to Parliament in 2009 as a member of the Malawi Congress Party, but announced on August 31, 2011 that he was switching to the Democratic Progressive Party because the MCP "had nothing to offer to the country" and the DPP under President Bingu wa Mutharika had a "clear vision of developing the country". Following the death of President Mutharika, he joined the People's Party.
