By Burnett Munthali
Kondwani George Malemia Nankhumwa was born on July 3, 1978.
He is a seasoned Malawian politician with two decades of experience on the national stage.
He served as a Member of Parliament for Mulanje Central.
He held key cabinet positions including Minister of Local Government, Agriculture, and Foreign Affairs.
These roles were under President Arthur Peter Mutharika’s Democratic Progressive Party administration.
In 2018, he was elected Vice President of the DPP for the Southern Region.
This position solidified his influence as a senior party figure at national convention levels.
After a power struggle within the DPP, Nankhumwa was expelled from the party in January 2024.
Shortly after, he founded the People’s Development Party (PDP).
He briefly retained the position of Leader of the Opposition in Parliament.
This was through a court injunction.
However, he vacated the position in mid-2024.
Under his new political banner, Nankhumwa launched an aggressive grassroots strategy.
He made unprecedented inroads into the rural Central Region.
This region has historically been a stronghold of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP).
His campaign approach relies on village-level outreach rather than large rallies.
He directly engages communities and registered voters in their own environments.
Observers note that his PDP was previously dismissed as a “briefcase party.”
However, the party is steadily gaining credibility and political traction under his leadership.
His leadership style emphasizes personalized, door-to-door campaigns.
This style resonates among rural voters who often feel overlooked by top-down politics.
Despite being a new party, the PDP is outperforming expectations in key districts.
These include Mchinji, Kupimba Central, and Lilongwe Rural.
This momentum positions Nankhumwa as a formidable contender in the 2025 elections.
This is especially significant in areas once dominated by the ruling MCP.
Concluding Analysis
Kondwani Nankhumwa’s rise marks a decisive reshaping of Malawi’s political terrain.
His journey from a senior DPP minister to the founder of a dynamic opposition movement demonstrates political resilience and ambition.
The PDP’s growing presence under his leadership challenges traditional power structures.
It also injects fresh competition into battleground regions.
His personalized grassroots tactics suggest a deeper understanding of voter psychology and local dynamics.
Should he maintain this trajectory, Nankhumwa and the PDP have the potential to become kingmakers—or even kings—in Malawi’s forthcoming electoral era.
