Africa-Press – Malawi. In politics, rumours are not just noise; they are signals. They emerge where ambition meets uncertainty, and they often say more about the state of a political organisation than about the individuals they target. This is exactly what is happening inside the Malawi Congress Party (MCP), where a growing cloud of speculation has once again settled around Eisenhower Nduwa Mkaka, a man whose political influence refuses to fade even in silence.
Two narratives have recently converged on Mkaka, and together they offer a rare glimpse into the quiet but intense struggle for the party’s future.
The first narrative spread rapidly on social media, claiming that Mkaka had “handpicked” economist McBride Nkhalamba to contest the MCP presidency at the next party convention in 2029.
The second, more serious and politically charged, came in the form of a purported letter attributed to Simplex Chithyola, which allegedly warned President Lazarus Chakwera that several senior party figures were already mobilising support ahead of the succession battle.
Mkaka responded swiftly and firmly to the social media claims, dismissing them as “a shameless lie” and urging the public to ignore what he described as tasteless gossip. On the surface, his denial appeared to shut down the story. Yet in political reality, such denials rarely end speculation; instead, they often confirm that something deeper is unfolding beneath the surface. The question therefore is not whether the rumours are true in a factual sense, but why Mkaka’s name continues to dominate every serious conversation about MCP’s future.
Mkaka is not an ordinary figure in the party’s history.
He was one of the central architects of the so-called MCP Renaissance in 2013, a reformist movement that helped rescue the party from political stagnation and reposition it as a modern electoral force. It was during this period that Chakwera, then known primarily as a church leader, emerged as a credible national political figure. Mkaka’s role in that transformation earned him immense internal respect and eventually propelled him to the position of Secretary General, making him one of the most powerful individuals within the party structure.
His influence extended into government, where he served first as Minister of Foreign Affairs and later as Minister of Natural Resources. However, internal tensions gradually developed between him and the presidency, and in January 2023 he was dropped from the cabinet. Since then, he has largely withdrawn from public political life, making few statements and rarely appearing in national debates. But in politics, silence often communicates more than speeches. It allows a figure to remain relevant without exposing themselves to direct confrontation, and it preserves networks without attracting open resistance.
The alleged Chithyola letter brought this quiet positioning into sharper focus. The document, whose authenticity remains unverified, named Mkaka as the most influential among a group of individuals said to be preparing for future leadership. It also mentioned McBride Nkhalamba, Prince Kapondamgaga, and Major Msonthi, accusing them of quietly building support bases across different regions and party structures. While none of these claims have been independently confirmed, the letter felt politically realistic enough to ignite serious debate.
What makes this episode powerful is not the accuracy of the allegations, but their timing. Chakwera remains the incumbent party president by virtue of the 2018 convention, yet he has not clearly stated whether he intends to seek another term in 2029. This uncertainty has created a vacuum, and political vacuums are never empty for long. They become breeding grounds for ambition, suspicion, and strategic storytelling. In such an environment, even unverified rumours acquire credibility simply because they fit the emotional and political mood of the moment.
The deeper truth is that MCP is already experiencing succession anxiety. The party is no longer in power, but it is no longer united by a single unquestioned future. Different camps are quietly assessing their options, potential alliances are being tested, and old power brokers are being reassessed. In this climate, Mkaka’s name naturally resurfaces, not necessarily because he is actively plotting, but because he represents a benchmark of influence that others are measured against.
Other names may be floated, and new faces may emerge, but none carry Mkaka’s symbolic weight. He is remembered as the man who rebuilt the party, the strategist who helped shape Chakwera’s rise, and the insider who understands MCP’s internal machinery better than most. That historical capital makes him unavoidable in any serious discussion about leadership. Even those who oppose him cannot ignore him, and even those who deny his relevance unconsciously define themselves in relation to him.
This is why the rumours persist. They are less about Mkaka’s intentions and more about the party’s state of mind. MCP is already living in a post-Chakwera imagination, and in that imagined future, Mkaka still occupies a central space, whether as kingmaker, shadow influencer, or simply as a reminder of what real internal power looks like.
In the end, the episode reveals a simple but uncomfortable reality. The struggle for MCP’s future has already begun, even if no one is ready to admit it openly. The alliances are being quietly shaped, the narratives are being tested in public, and the succession battle is slowly moving from imagination into strategy. Mkaka’s silence does not remove him from this process; it places him at its heart. In politics, power does not disappear when a leader steps back. It merely changes form, waits patiently, and re-emerges precisely when uncertainty is at its highest.
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