By The Forum

Newly elected Malawi President Peter Mutharika has begun shaping his administration, appointing Alliance for Democracy (Aford) leader Enoch Kanzingeni Chihana as Second Vice President and Lieutenant General George Jaffu as Commander of the Malawi Defence Force (MDF).

Other key appointments include George Chaponda as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Joseph Mwanamvekha as Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development. Alfred Ruwan Gangata has been named Minister of State.

At the administrative and security level, Justin Saidi has been appointed Secretary to the President and Cabinet, with Stuart Ligomeka as his deputy. Kiswell Dakamau takes over as Director of State Residences, while Richard Luhanga will head the Malawi Police Service.

More cabinet appointments are expected soon, with observers watching closely to see whether Mutharika opts for a lean or expanded team.

Party insiders say Mutharika reminded his Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) members that Chihana’s appointment as Second Vice President was in line with the Blue Alliance agreement. He urged party leaders to respect Chihana’s office, which ranks third in government hierarchy.

The new vice president follows in the footsteps of his father, human rights activist and pro-democracy champion Chakufwa Chihana, who served as Second Vice President under President Bakili Muluzi between 1994 and 1996, and again from 2003 to 2004. Like his father, Chihana has his eyes set on agriculture, a portfolio he hinted at after the Blue Alliance accord. His ambition lines up with Mutharika’s immediate priorities: tackling hunger, fixing fuel shortages, and securing fertilizer ahead of the planting season.

Meanwhile, before becoming Army Commander, Lieutenant General Jaffu served as Deputy Commander of the MDF from 2024. He joined the military in 1988 and also worked as a military adviser to Malawi’s UN mission in New York. He holds a Master’s degree in Strategic Management from the University of Derby in the United Kingdom.