{"id":77449,"date":"2026-04-22T18:52:40","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T18:52:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/mcp-experts-clash-over-fuel-crisis-and-accountability"},"modified":"2026-04-22T18:55:50","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T18:55:50","slug":"mcp-experts-clash-over-fuel-crisis-and-accountability","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/mcp-experts-clash-over-fuel-crisis-and-accountability","title":{"rendered":"MCP Experts Clash Over Fuel Crisis and Accountability"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Malawi. <\/strong><\/span>A sharp political clash has erupted between the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and governance commentators over the country\u2019s worsening fuel and foreign exchange crisis, with experts accusing the opposition party of \u201ccheap politics\u201d and deflecting responsibility for problems they say were created during its time in power.<\/p>\n

The dispute follows a strongly worded press briefing by MCP on April 22, 2026, in which the party blamed the current Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration for fuel shortages, declining forex reserves, rising cost of living, and failures in agricultural support systems.<\/p>\n

MCP Director of Campaign and Member of Parliament for Dedza Mlunduni, Moses Kunkuyu<\/b>, said Malawians deserve \u201ctransparency, honesty, and transformative leadership,\u201d questioning why the DPP is now raising alarm over forex shortages after previously downplaying the situation.<\/p>\n

\u201cMalawians expect leadership that accepts responsibility rather than shifting blame,\u201d the party said, while defending its own record in government. MCP pointed to a government-to-government fuel procurement system introduced under former President Lazarus Chakwera<\/b>, arguing it was designed to reduce reliance on cash purchases and ease forex pressure.<\/p>\n

The party also dismissed official inflation figures showing a marginal drop from 24.1 percent to 23.8 percent, describing the change as \u201ccosmetic\u201d and disconnected from the reality on the ground.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe cost of basic goods, transport, and essential services remains high, and households continue to feel the strain,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n

MCP further raised concerns over maize pricing, the 2025\/2026 tobacco marketing season, and what it described as a \u201cdisastrous\u201d fertilizer programme. Kunkuyu used a metaphor to criticise government decisions, saying: \u201cThere is no logic in a father selling a house just to buy biscuits,\u201d while also questioning the handling of national resources and the visibility of leadership.<\/p>\n

But governance experts have pushed back strongly, accusing MCP of attempting to score political points instead of offering solutions.<\/p>\n

Political analyst George Chaima<\/b> said the party lacks the moral authority to criticise the current administration on fuel issues.<\/p>\n

\u201cMCP should stop making blatant noise. They have no high moral ground to accuse the DPP on fuel matters because they are the creators of this problem,\u201d Chaima said.<\/p>\n

He argued that many of the challenges now being faced were rooted in decisions made during MCP\u2019s time in government, adding that even the current administration is struggling to stabilise the situation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a government that is also struggling to invest in these areas. Running a government is not a one-man job\u2014it requires coordination across many players,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Chaima added that political actors often oversimplify solutions while in opposition, only to face the same difficulties once in power.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople outside government always think they have easy solutions. But when you get there, it becomes another challenge,\u201d he said, urging for collaboration rather than blame.<\/p>\n

On the fuel crisis, he said the country currently lacks a clear \u201cchampion\u201d to drive a solution, stressing that the problem requires political will and collective effort from multiple stakeholders.<\/p>\n

He also advised MCP leaders to tone down their criticism and instead contribute constructively.<\/p>\n

\u201cMCP cannot absolve itself of responsibility. They had their time in government and failed to fully resolve these issues,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Social accountability expert Mavuto Bamusi<\/b> echoed similar sentiments, faulting MCP for politicising the crisis.<\/p>\n

Bamusi said the party should be the last to point fingers at an administration that is dealing with structural challenges inherited from the previous government.<\/p>\n

The ongoing exchange highlights growing political tension as Malawi grapples with persistent fuel shortages and forex constraints, with both sides trading blame while citizens continue to bear the economic pressure.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Malawi<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Malawi. A sharp political clash has erupted between the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and governance commentators over the country\u2019s worsening fuel and foreign exchange crisis, with experts accusing the opposition party of \u201ccheap politics\u201d and deflecting responsibility for problems they say were created during its time in power. The dispute follows a strongly […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":77448,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,5,7],"tags":[234],"class_list":["post-77449","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-economy","category-head-lines","tag-malawi"],"yoast_head":"\nMCP Experts Clash Over Fuel Crisis and Accountability - Malawi<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A sharp political clash has erupted between the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and governance commentators over the country ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/mcp-experts-clash-over-fuel-crisis-and-accountability\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"MCP Experts Clash Over Fuel Crisis and Accountability\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A sharp political clash has erupted between the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and governance commentators over the country ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/mcp-experts-clash-over-fuel-crisis-and-accountability\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Malawi\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-22T18:52:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-22T18:55:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/malawi\/sites\/36\/2026\/04\/sm_1776884126.512256.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"909\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"549\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/mcp-experts-clash-over-fuel-crisis-and-accountability#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/mcp-experts-clash-over-fuel-crisis-and-accountability\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"MCP Experts Clash Over Fuel Crisis and Accountability\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-22T18:52:40+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-22T18:55:50+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/mcp-experts-clash-over-fuel-crisis-and-accountability\"},\"wordCount\":607,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/mcp-experts-clash-over-fuel-crisis-and-accountability#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/malawi\/sites\/36\/2026\/04\/sm_1776884126.512256.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Malawi\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"economy\",\"head lines\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/mcp-experts-clash-over-fuel-crisis-and-accountability#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/mcp-experts-clash-over-fuel-crisis-and-accountability\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/mcp-experts-clash-over-fuel-crisis-and-accountability\",\"name\":\"MCP Experts Clash Over Fuel Crisis and Accountability - 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