By The Forum

Vitumbiko Mumba, running mate to President Lazarus Chakwera under the Malawi Congress Party (MCP), has claimed unidentified individuals trailed him. Despite the alleged pursuit, Mumba told supporters he remained defiant, declaring: “I am not afraid.”

Speaking at a Sunday press briefing in Lilongwe, where he also accused the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of rigging the September 16 elections, Mumba described one incident while driving from Lilongwe in central Malawi to the Northern Region.

“My security officers alerted me that I was being followed by a suspicious vehicle. But I told them to proceed with our journey because I [was] not afraid,” he said.

According to Mumba, the vehicle was intercepted at Jenda roadblock, where police allegedly arrested three men inside. He did not provide details on what led him to believe he was being followed or the motive behind it.

However, the Malawi Police Service (MPS) denied knowledge of the arrests.

“I don’t have an answer because I haven’t received any information regarding that,” said Inspector General Merlyn Yolamu.

After the September 16 elections, Mumba has suddenly emerged as the spokesperson for the MCP. The party’s official and loquacious spokesperson Jessie Kabwila, who attended at least one of the press briefings addressed by Mumba, hasn’t spoken as openly or forcefully on the issues championed by Chakwera’s running mate. Some observers now view Mumba as a self-appointed spokesperson for the MCP, with critics accusing him of making claims without factual backing.

Mumba is no longer a member of the party’s National Executive Council, having resigned. Unofficial results show he won a parliamentary seat against the party’s official candidate in the September 16 elections. His nomination as Chakwera’s running mate surprised many. Mumba has openly embraced his close ties with the president’s son, Nick Chakwera, but his relationship with MCP Secretary General Chimwendo Banda — who supported Mumba’s primary rival — remains tense, with some observers attributing the friction to a clear power struggle.