By Burnett Munthali
President Lazarus Chakwera’s recent State of the Nation Address (SONA) was meant to be a moment of truth—a time to outline real progress, real achievements, and real challenges facing Malawi. Instead, it became an exercise in deception, filled with half-truths, misrepresentations, and outright lies designed to paint a false image of success. The most glaring example of this dishonesty is his fraudulent claim that his administration built the Chapananga Clinic in Chikwawa, a project that was actually completed by the Community Forum Organisation (COFO) with funding from World Connect.
This brazen attempt to hijack credit for a development project he had no hand in exposes a troubling pattern in Chakwera’s leadership: a reliance on propaganda rather than actual delivery. It is not just misleading; it is a calculated insult to the hardworking organizations and individuals who are doing what his government has failed to do—bring essential services to struggling communities.
Joshua Malunga, the Executive Director of COFO, has made it abundantly clear that his organization was responsible for building the clinic in 2022, long before Chakwera decided to rewrite history. This is not a minor oversight—it is a deliberate attempt to mislead the nation. If the president can lie so shamelessly about a single clinic, what else in his SONA was fabricated?
This is not the first time that Chakwera’s administration has tried to claim credit for projects it did not initiate. Across Malawi, communities are waking up to the realization that the government’s so-called “achievements” are often nothing more than repackaged projects funded by foreign donors, NGOs, or even the private sector. The president is riding on the hard work of others while his administration fails to address the real economic and social challenges facing Malawians.
The most tragic aspect of this scandal is that it highlights just how little Chakwera’s government has actually done. If there were genuine development projects spearheaded by his administration, there would be no need to steal credit from COFO. The fact that his government must resort to lies shows that his promises of transformation and prosperity are nothing but empty rhetoric.
Meanwhile, the reality on the ground speaks for itself:
A crumbling economy with skyrocketing inflation and a weak currency.
Soaring unemployment, leaving thousands of young Malawians with no hope for the future.
Corruption scandals engulfing government officials while the president claims to fight graft.
A failing healthcare system that still lacks basic resources, despite Chakwera’s claims of improvement.
Malawians are not fooled by political spin. They know that when a government is truly working, its achievements speak for themselves. But in Chakwera’s case, there are no real achievements—only borrowed success stories and dishonest speeches.
A Call for Accountability
The lies in Chakwera’s SONA must not go unchallenged. COFO and other organizations that have contributed to Malawi’s development deserve proper recognition, not political exploitation. The president must issue a public correction and acknowledge that his administration did not build the Chapananga Clinic.
More importantly, Malawians must demand honesty, transparency, and real leadership. A government that survives on deception is a government that does not deserve the people’s trust. The Chapananga scandal is not just about a clinic—it is about the integrity of an entire presidency. And if Chakwera cannot be honest about one clinic, why should we believe anything else he says?
It is time to expose the lies, hold the government accountable, and demand leadership that actually delivers—not one that thrives on deceit.
