By Durell Namasani
In an era of digital transparency, the leader of a nation cannot simply vanish into thin air. Yet, that is precisely what seems to have happened to President Peter Mutharika.
For several days, the Commander-in-Chief has been conspicuously absent from the public eye. There have been no addresses, no social media posts, no public engagements. In the vacuum left by this silence, a storm of speculation is brewing. The rumor mill is no longer whispering but roaring: Where is President Mutharika?
These are not just random social media ramblings. Renowned activist Ben Chiza Mkandawire has stepped forward with claims that are as specific as they are alarming. Mkandawire alleges that the President has been secretly smuggled out of Malawi and is currently admitted to a hospital in South Africa—specifically Wits University Donald Gordon Hospital . Such a claim strikes at the heart of national stability. If true, it raises immediate constitutional questions regarding the transfer of power to the Vice President.
Of course, in a functioning democracy, rumors are met with swift facts. But here lies the core of the problem: the government’s refusal to engage.
We have not heard from the President, nor has his spokesperson—or specifically, Minister of Information Gospel Kazako (often referred to by the nickname Namalomba)—stepped forward to extinguish these fires. If the President is resting at home, it would take a single photograph or a brief statement to calm the nation. If he is abroad, Malawians deserve to know who is running the country.
The Office of the President must understand that the head of state is not a private citizen. His health and whereabouts are matters of public interest. By allowing this opacity to continue, the government feeds the very conspiracy theories it claims to despise.
Malawians deserve reassurance. We ask the President’s spokespersons to do their duty: Clear the air and tell the nation the truth about their leader’s condition and location. Silence is no longer an option.
