By Edwin Mauluka
Like father, like son Enoch Chihana is now Malawi’s Second Vice President.
The Alliance for Democracy (Aford) leader was sworn in on Tuesday at Sanjika Palace in Blantyre, fulfilling what many in the North have long hoped to see: a return of one of their own to the upper echelons of national leadership.
President Peter Mutharika, who hails from the Southern Region, described Chihana’s appointment as the final piece in his effort to unify the country’s leadership. His first Vice President, Jane Ansah, comes from the Central Region.
“It’s very important that everyone should feel that they are participating in this country,” Mutharika said during the ceremony.
Aford entered into a coalition with Mutharika’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) ahead of the September 16, 2025 general elections. As part of that agreement, Chihana was promised the post of Second Vice President and the Ministry of Agriculture, the same positions once held by his late father, Chakufwa Chihana.
The elder Chihana was a celebrated pro-democracy activist who helped end Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda’s one-party rule in the early 1990s. He served twice as Second Vice President under President Bakili Muluzi — from 1994 to 1996 and again from 2003 to 2004 — and until now, was the only person ever to have held that position.
President Mutharika, who recently ordered the relocation of several parastatals from Lilongwe to Blantyre and Zomba, said his administration would promote equitable resource distribution across the country, including the possibility of moving certain government functions to the North.
“We want development to reach every corner of this nation,” he said.
The Northern Region remains Malawi’s least developed, lagging behind in infrastructure and investment. Over the years, some political leaders from the region have renewed calls for a federal system that would give it more control over its own development agenda.
With Chihana’s elevation to the vice presidency, many in the North see a renewed chance to close that gap and perhaps, finally, a stronger voice at the national table.
