Africa-Press – Malawi. Explosive revelations suggest that before his untimely death in June last year, Vice President Saulos Klaus Chilima (SKC) had already resolved not to stand for president in 2025—but instead to back President Lazarus Chakwera’s re-election.
Close aides and family insiders claim Chilima quietly made the decision months before the plane crash that shocked the nation.
“Chilima was a shrewd, calculating leader. He knew UTM could not win alone, and the law barred him from a third term. His plan was clear: keep UTM in government and rally behind Chakwera,” one aide disclosed.
Those close to him say this explains Chilima’s studied silence and loyalty to Chakwera throughout his second term. He avoided direct attacks on MCP or the president because he had struck what sources call an “insider deal” to campaign for Chakwera in 2025.
Part of that deal, insiders allege, was the quiet dropping of corruption charges against him—an arrangement that paved the way for Chilima to focus on his new political role.
Chilima also faced a constitutional roadblock. A 2009 court ruling clarified that Malawi’s Constitution bars any president, first vice-president, or second vice-president from serving more than two consecutive terms. With 2025 marking the end of his second vice-presidential term, Chilima was effectively disqualified from running.
According to aides, SKC knew the law tied his hands and that UTM’s electoral muscle without him was too weak to mount a serious presidential campaign.
Reports suggest the plan went further than loyalty: Chilima was promised a new powerful post—possibly a Prime Minister’s office to be created through constitutional amendment—in exchange for championing Chakwera’s candidacy.
Some insiders add that financial sweeteners were also on the table. Chilima was reportedly drowning in debts from his 2018–2020 campaign blitz, and government operatives offered a way to ease the burden if he stayed loyal.
Even Chakwera’s own son-in-law, Sean Kampondeni, confirmed Chilima’s intent. In a memorial reflection, Kampondeni revealed he met SKC just days before the crash, where Chilima confided he had “quite made up his mind” not to contest in 2025 and instead to drive Chakwera’s re-election campaign.
Political analyst Lyson Sibande backs the claims: “Chilima never broke ranks with MCP because he knew he needed them more than they needed him. His silence was strategic.”
Chilima’s sudden death silenced a plan that could have reshaped the 2025 elections. Yet President Chakwera’s recent move to rename a major Lilongwe highway in Chilima’s honour may be more than symbolism—it may be a final nod to a quiet alliance sealed before tragedy struck.
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