By Chisomo Phiri
Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Esther Jolobala, has urged Malawians to support and elect more women into leadership positions, saying women have the ability to bring meaningful development and positive change to communities.
Jolobala made the remarks on Thursday at Mwanamanga Ground in Chigwirizano, Lilongwe, during the ‘Ending Child Marriages and Elect Her and Retain Her Campaign’ which attracted women’s caucuses from Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe.
The campaign was held in Lilongwe Kamphuno Constituency following the election of Khadija Chunga as Member of Parliament (MP) for the area in 2025.
Speaking during the event, Jolobala commended the people of Lilongwe Kamphuno for electing a female representative to Parliament and encouraged the newly elected legislator to serve all constituents equally.
“As MP, we are grateful that the people of Lilongwe Kamphuno elected a woman to Parliament. I urge the Honourable Member to prioritise the welfare of every person in the constituency, regardless of whether they voted for her or not,” said Jolobala.
On her part, veteran politician Patricia Kaliati, who is serving her fifth term as Mulanje West MP, called on residents to continue supporting women leaders by retaining them in office to allow them to implement long-term development initiatives.
Kaliati specifically encouraged constituents to support Chunga in future elections so she can continue delivering development in the area.
The Lilongwe Kamphuno event marked the end of a two-day regional women’s caucus learning workshop funded by Oxfam.
The workshop focused on strengthening women’s political leadership and promoting inclusive governance across Southern Africa.
