President Peter Mutharika has warned that the law will take its course on anyone involved in crime including corruption, regardless of their status or political position.
Speaking during his State of National Address SONA when opening the 52nd Parliamentary deliberations, Mutharika has advised all government departments and agencies to avoid making decisions that are against the interests of Malawians and ensure they support the government’s agenda.
Mutharika reaffirmed his commitment to transform the country and uplift the living standards saying he has managed to deliver tangible developments within 4 months.
On health, the President underscored that drug availability in public facilities has improved, since his directive to increase the health budget by K17 billion alongside an extra K5 billion dedicated to children vaccines, highlighting a US$744 million five-year grant has been secured to support service delivery.
On infrastructure development Mutharika admitted that the country’s road network is in a compromised state hence promising that road construction projects will commence as soon as possible.
In the energy sector, President Peter Mutharika said efforts are being made to end the persistent blackouts by restoring 31 megawatts emphasizing that
Generation capacity is targeted to increase from 551 megawatts to over 1,000 megawatts by 2030.
He added that government has outlined plans to double national fuel storage capacity from 60 million to 120 million litres through the construction of new facilities in Blantyre, Lilongwe and Mzuzu to prevent future shortages.
Mutharika further said the Malawi Mining Investment Company MAMICO have already been engaged to set up strategies that would ensure that the country’s mining sector is vibrant and ensure that Malawians benefiting directly.
He has meanwhile announced that government will allocate K100 million in soft loans annually for the youth in every constituency, starting from the 2026/2027 financial year.
Reacting to the address, the Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation CHRR Executive Director Michael Kaiyatsa commended the President for delivering a 45-minute SONA that touched on several sectors.
However, he noted that the speech did not adequately outline implementation plans or provide clear solutions to the country’s pressing challenges.
“Yes we can agree that the president has been presize and tried to touch almost all the areas, but still, the SONA did not give full details as to how some things will be implemented”, he said.
Meanwhile, the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) Publicity Secretary Jessie Kabwila has described the SONA as empty as it failed to sufficiently address key issues affecting Malawians, including rising cost of fuel and basic needs.
“The SONA is empty, Malawians are suffering in so many ways, and the prices of so many things have gone up, let’s talk about fuel, how can someone go to the hospital to access medical care when he doesn’t have money for transportation, the president did not explain how they are going to end challenges especially on the rise of commodities including basic needs for example Sugar”. She said.
The 52nd session of parliament is expected to discuss among others that 2026/2027 National budget.
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