The exit of Maria Asghar, Lilongwe Private School’s primary head, has brought to an end a reign of turmoil and controversy. The circumstances surrounding her departure are a testament to the toxic environment she allegedly fostered.
Asghar’s attempts to address allegations of racism by reshuffling standard one classes ended in chaos, with distraught children refusing to leave their teachers. Her apology tour, marked by tears and pleas for forgiveness, fell flat with staff who had grown weary of her abrasive management style.
The school board’s efforts to engage with Asghar were rebuffed, and she beat a hasty retreat, packing her belongings with the help of cleaners. Her announcement of plans to launch her own school, citing Lilongwe Private School’s shortcomings, was met with skepticism and ridicule.
Allegations of mismanagement, favoritism, and staff intimidation have dogged Asghar’s tenure. Teachers claim she created a culture of fear, isolating staff and suppressing dissent. The school board’s response has been criticized as woefully inadequate.
Asghar’s departure marks a new chapter for Lilongwe Private School, one that promises to be free from the drama and dysfunction of her leadership. The school community is poised to breathe a collective sigh of relief, eager to move forward.
Freedom fighter and activist Hon. Kamlepo Kalua, has claimed that there are some people in the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) who are booking appointments to meet President Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika not to speak about themselves but destroying others.
Kalua has reminded these people that Make Malawi Great Again is working very hard to make sure that President Professor Mutharika retires from active politics in 2030 leaving a good legacy advising people that when they go to Mutharika they should not destroy others.
He said former President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera was being deceived by those people who were going to him that people on the ground are supporting him and he should not listen to the voices of reason but the end result, he lost the elections miserably.
Kalua
Speaking through an audio clip, Kalua said it is sad that there are some people who are going to Mutharika focusing their meeting on names such as Bon Kalindo, Ntanyiwa, Kamlepo Kalua, Bakili Muluzi TV for Mutharika not to give them jobs or other appreciations.
Kalua has advised these people that they can eat and eat, but they should not forget that others are not eating the same as they are eating, one day they will vomit what they are eating case in point is MCP Secretary General Richard Chimwendo Banda.
He said at one time, he met Chimwendo Banda personally to advise him that the power he has in the party and government that he is above everyone, tomorrow, the same power will finish him, people will not recognize him anymore as powerful.
The activist said during the bail application appeal case to the Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal in Blantyre, he went to the court to see Chimwendo Banda alone with his brother Wyclif Chimwendo observing that people who were supporting him, none was there.
He said President Chakwera won the June, 2020 elections by 66.8 percent landslide victory, today is crying for being out of government, President Professor Mutharika won the 16th September, 2025 elections by 56 percent, in 2030 he may end up crying, case in point will be those people surrounding him.
The activist has claimed that President Professor Mutharika is being praised by many people that the has performed exceptionally well achieving what he promised Malawians such as food, fuel, fertilizer, and forex in just three months.
Kalua has reminded Malawians that there was former President Madam Dr. Joyce Banda who was praised by supplying the country with enough fuel within two weeks and President Chakwera who was distributing cash to chiefs and other people, but come the elections, they lost miserably.
“Let this be a lesson of tomorrow, the president can be good, but people going to him mislead him with lies, let the DPP not cry in 2030 for the same avoidable mistakes,” said Kalua.
He has advised Malawians to analyze the speech which was made by MCP President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera at the late Madalitso Kazombo’s funeral in Kasungu warning those that are working to finish the MCP that they are wasting their time.
Kalua has finally advised the DPP and all politicians in Malawi that Chakwera is seeing something in the future, advising all those booking appointments to meet President Professor Mutharika to think of 2030 elections, nobody knows, the MCP can bounce back into government capitalizing on DPP mistakes in government.
Lilongwe Police has arrested two men for allegedly stabbing to death using a broken glass bottle, a fellow watchman following a disagreement over K4,000 meant for the purchase of a raincoat.
The incident occurred on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, at around 21:30 hours at Tsoka Flea Market in Lilongwe.
The suspects have been identified as Maxwell Gwedemula, 22 years old and Chikumbutso Fulailo,aged 35, while the deceased is Lloyd Tsosa, 22 years old .
The trio, who are believed to be street-connected individuals, were employed as watchmen by the same employer.
Preliminary investigations indicate that Tsosa received K4,000 from his employer to buy a raincoat.
However, when he informed his fellow watchmen about the money, they reportedly mocked him, claiming the amount was insufficient to purchase a raincoat. This led to a misunderstanding which later escalated into a violent fight.
During the altercation, Gwedemula allegedly stabbed Tsosa multiple times on the chest, head, and stomach using a broken glass bottle. Tsosa sustained fatal injuries and died at the scene.
The body has been taken to Kamuzu Central Hospital mortuary, where it is awaiting postmortem examination.
The suspects are currently in police custody and will be taken to court to answer a charge of murder.
Maxwell Gwedemula hails from Pengapenga Village, Traditional Authority Makwangwala in Ntcheu, while Chikumbutso Fulailo comes from Seleji Village, Tradition Authority Mwanga, Phalombe. The deceased, Lloyd Tsosa, hailed from Njema Village, Tradition Authority Njema in Lilongwe District.
Meanwhile, Lilongwe Police strongly condemns acts of violence and urges members of the community to resolve disputes amicably and report criminal behaviors to the police.
The Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM) Limited Board Chairperson, Alfred Nhlema, says the Board has set clear policy targets aimed at strengthening operational efficiency, improving fault response times, and restoring public confidence in the Corporation.
In an interview on the sidelines of Board orientation at ESCOM Mpemba Training Centre in Blantyre on Monday, Nhlema acknowledged that persistent operational challenges particularly shortages of mobility and technical resources have continued to undermine service reliability and delay fault clearance across the country.
He said the Board has responded by repositioning operational performance as a top strategic and enterprise risk, subject to direct Board-level oversight.
Nhlema said this will include close monitoring of fault response times, maintenance backlogs, and overall network reliability.
“To improve service delivery, the Board has realigned institutional priorities to ensure that frontline operations are adequately supported. This includes ring-fencing resources for mobility, accelerating procurement of critical spares, and shifting the organisation towards a more preventive maintenance approach,” he said.
Nhlema added that accountability remains a cornerstone of the Board’s policy direction and as such, the Board will strengthen performance contracting arrangements by directly linking executive and management performance to service restoration times, network uptime, and customer responsiveness.
On execution, the Board Chairperson said ESCOM will focus on improving discipline across the organisation by clarifying priorities, reducing bureaucratic delays, and empowering management to act decisively within clear governance controls.
In addition to policy and resource alignment, Nhlema outlined a robust performance monitoring framework that the Board will enforce to ensure timely fault resolution and improved customer experience across all regions.
The framework includes Board-approved service standards for fault response and restoration times, network availability, and customer complaint resolution. A balanced scorecard with a strong emphasis on operational performance and customer experience will enable consistent regional performance assessment.
“Performance contracts will be cascaded from the Chief Executive Officer to regional managers, directly linking accountability to fault resolution timelines and customer service outcomes. Standardized dashboards and reporting systems will also be introduced to provide real-time visibility on faults, restoration performance, fleet availability, and customer feedback,” said Nhlema.
Nhlema added that regular Board operational reviews and consequent management mechanisms will ensure underperformance is addressed promptly, while best practices are scaled across the Corporation.
“In essence, the Board’s focus is to ensure that governance decisions translate into tangible operational improvements. Our objective is to restore service reliability and rebuild public confidence through measurable, visible outcomes that customers can feel,” said Nhlema.
Minister of Education, Science and Technology Bright Msaka has commended the World Food Programme (WFP) for its continued support to Malawi, particularly through the School Feeding Programme, which he describes as a key investment in the country’s future.
The minister made the remarks on Tuesday during a courtesy visit by a WFP delegation to the Ministry’s headquarters.
Msaka highlighted the programme’s impact, noting that it has contributed to higher school attendance, reduced dropout rates, and improved academic performance.
“This initiative not only helps children escape poverty but also invests in the citizens of tomorrow,” he said.
The minister also praised WFP’s homegrown approach to implementation, saying it promotes sustainability and encourages ownership by schools and local communities.
He assured the delegation that the government remains committed to supporting and collaborating with WFP to ensure the programme continues.
On his part,WFP Country Director and Representative Hyoung-Joon Lim described the School Feeding Programme as a strategic entry point for broader national development, emphasizing its role in building healthy and well-educated human capital.
Lim encouraged the government to take full ownership of the programme and work towards establishing a national school feeding system that reaches all schoolchildren by 2030, in line with national policy goals.
Since 1999, WFP has provided meals to 825,000 schoolchildren across 788 primary schools and 140 Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres in Malawi.
