'They're like parasites': UTM's Kabambe launches savage attack on 'corrupt' government

UTM Party president Dalitso Kabambe has launched a scathing broadside against the ruling government, branding corrupt officials "parasites" feeding off state resources, as he delivered a blistering assessment of the DPP's first year back in power.

Kabambe, who himself contested the September 16, 2025 elections, didn't hold back as he questioned whether government's much-publicised anti-corruption measures were bearing any fruit whatsoever, or simply amounted to empty rhetoric designed to placate an increasingly frustrated public.

The opposition leader delivered a damning economic report card too, ranking the country's gains as poor and pointing squarely to failed monetary policies that he says have left forex scarcity crippling businesses and investment across the nation.

"SMEs are struggling, their businesses aren't moving, they can't import as they would wish because forex is illusive," Kabambe said.

He went further still, exposing the stark gulf between official and black-market exchange rates as proof of a system failing ordinary Malawians and entrepreneurs alike.

"Sadly, banks don't have forex in desirably volumes; and the disparities in rates between the black-and-official market is so huge," he said.

Turning his fire on the fight against graft, Kabambe accused government of allowing corruption-busting institutions to be hijacked by political interests, singling out the Anti-Corruption Bureau, the Police and the Financial Intelligence Unit as agencies that have lost their way entirely.

"These agencies need autonomy. They cannot continue to operate like political dogs whose parameter is restricted to investigating, arresting and prosecuting opposition political figures," Kabambe fumed, accusing the very institutions meant to root out corruption of instead being weaponised against political rivals.

Renewing his ambitions for the 2030 presidential race, Kabambe insisted Malawi's fortunes would look drastically different today had he emerged victorious in 2025, declaring that with "serious and focused leadership," the country would need just eight months to reclaim economic stability.

He also took aim at government's Chief Secretary directly, demanding action rather than empty promises when it comes to genuinely tackling the hostile economic conditions gripping the nation.

"Take the hostility measures for instance; Government's Chief Secretary should walk the talk and go beyond words-and-statements that will truly benefit the nation," Kabambe said.

The fiery intervention lands at a politically sensitive moment, as the DPP-led government continues to face mounting pressure over its handling of the economy, with persistent forex shortages, rising living costs and stalled anti-corruption reforms all fuelling growing public discontent just one year into its return to power.