Malawi President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera has come under fire for taking more than half of his cabinet, all Chewa Chiefs and top government officials to Kulamba Ceremony at Mkaika, Katete District in Zambia thereby defying his own austerity measures.
Some of the Ministers who accompanied Chakwera include Information Minister Gospel Kazako, Unity Minister Timothy Mtambo, Sports Minister Richard Chimwendo Banda, Deputy Speaker Madalitso Kazombo and Blessings Chisinga of Local Government.
The development comes barely weeks after Chakwera announced expenditure control measures to cushion Malawi’s ailing economy which includes limiting number of delegates in foreign trips.
Speaking to the Kulamba Ceremony, President Chakwera asked the three countries of Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia to resolve to work together in creating structures and systems to promote free movement of people, goods and services among them.
He said the three countries should revolve to move towards making citizens of these countries travel in each other’s country without passports saying this would foster development among the nations.
On his remarks, President of the Republic of Zambia Hakainde Hichilema, said the Kulamba ceremony defies national boundaries and simultaneously brings together brothers and sisters across the three countries to come and celebrate their common cultural heritage a hallmark of the deep-rooted, unifying nature of this shared cultural heritage and identity.
He said he was happy to see him and President Chakwera attending the ceremony while they are Presidents since they used to meet each other at the event the time they were both leaders of opposition in their respective countries.
In his speech read by Chairman of Chewa Heritage Foundation (CHEFO) for Zambia, Kalonga Gawa Undi emphasized the need for these countries to invest in road infrastructures.
He said investing in road infrastructures would increase agricultural production and access to markets for the people of these three countries who depend on Agriculture.
Kulamba is a Chewa traditional ceremony in which Chewa chiefs pay homage to their King, Kalonga Gawa Undi.
During the ceremony, chiefs brief the King on the situation in their chiefdoms, highlighting major issues and developments and present gifts to him. The ceremony did not take place in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19.
