Africa-Press – Malawi. Ntopwa Ward Councillor Isaac Jomo Osman has been elected Mayor of Blantyre City—and the city is on fire with debate.
Osman, who defeated Eric Mofolo by 15 votes against 11, and former Mayor Joseph Makwinja who managed only four, has taken the top seat despite openly acknowledging he has no formal academic qualifications. And that fact alone has split Blantyre into two camps.
Supporters are thumping their chests. Writing on Facebook, Emmanuel Chinovi mocked degree holders, saying:
“Jomo is our Mayor. Many of you with higher qualifications will now be ruled by him with your papers locked away. You will bow to him when he walks into your BT1 office.”
Others argue the educated have no moral right to complain when they themselves refuse to join the political trenches.
“People want an educated mayor, yet those same educated people never contest,” wrote Emmanuel Kaitano.
But critics are outraged, warning that the city has elected a leader unprepared for the demands of a modern urban council.
Owen Kamwendo didn’t mince words:
“Nothing to celebrate here. The mayor’s office requires skills, strategic thinking and exposure. Jomo is a self-confessed uneducated man.”
One commentator went further, comparing Malawi’s relaxed approach to leadership with global standards:
“In London, mayoral campaigns are serious business—transportation, sanitation, security, entertainment—everything is laid out. Yet here, we send councillors, often the least qualified, to choose the city’s leader.”
And another voice summed up the national frustration:
“We are a confused society. What we want, we know not.”
Jomo Osman may have won the vote—but the battle over what kind of leadership Malawians deserve has just begun.
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