By Wadza Botomani
Veteran journalist and social media influencer Dickson Kashoti has called on former presidents Peter Mutharika and Joyce Banda to retire from active politics, urging them to emulate the example set by former president Bakili Muluzi.
Kashoti argued that Malawi’s retired heads of state should learn from Muluzi, who has become a respected statesman and peace broker in Africa after leaving office. Unlike Mutharika and Banda, who remain politically active, Muluzi has dedicated his post-presidency to conflict resolution, recently mediating a tense standoff between the Zambian government and the family of late president Edgar Lungu over burial arrangements.
“There is life after Kamuzu Palace,” Kashoti stated, emphasizing that Muluzi’s diplomatic efforts have averted potential crises, proving that retired leaders can still contribute meaningfully without clinging to power.
The journalist questioned why Banda and Mutharika continue exhausting themselves in politics when their time has passed. “If they failed to develop Malawi in their prime, how can they do so in old age?” he asked. Kashoti warned that it would be embarrassing for the two to contest in the upcoming September elections, only to suffer defeat again.
“Lakula ndi dyera basi (Old age is retirement enough),” he said, stressing that no African leader who lost an election has ever bounced back to the presidency. He advised Banda and Mutharika to gracefully exit politics and embrace statesmanship like Muluzi, rather than being “humiliated by the youth on the political stage.”
Kashoti’s message is clear: Malawi’s former leaders should accept that their political era is over and pave the way for new leadership.
