Dr. Kondwani Nankhumwa, President of the People’s Development Party (PDP), has strongly criticized President Lazarus Chakwera’s handling of Malawi’s ongoing fuel crisis, which has lasted for over five weeks and reached alarming levels.
Addressing the press at the Golden Peacock Hotel in Lilongwe, Nankhumwa expressed outrage over the government’s failure to address the fuel shortage, which he called “the worst fuel crisis in our nation’s history.”
“This country is facing a severe fuel crisis that has persisted for five weeks. This is the worst fuel crisis in our nation’s history,” Nankhumwa stated.
“For example, in some instances, the price of fuel has skyrocketed to as much as K10,000 per litre on the black market.”
The PDP leader accused the government of being incompetent in resolving the situation, highlighting how the crisis is impacting the daily lives of Malawians, with rising transport costs and increased prices of basic commodities.
He also pointed to the detrimental effects on the health sector, with ambulances unable to operate due to lack of fuel, leading to avoidable deaths.
Nankhumwa was particularly critical of President Chakwera’s response, suggesting that the president has been indifferent to the suffering of the people.
“What is sad is that this government seems like it does not have a clue of what it must do. But the situation in Malawi is very far from normal. This country is in a crisis,” he remarked, adding, “President Lazarus Chakwera appears to be unconcerned. He is busy travelling around and making political speeches as though everything is normal.”
He demanded that Chakwera address the nation on the fuel crisis “as a matter of urgency,” and called for the Minister of Information to apologize for misleading the public by initially claiming that the situation would be resolved within a few days.
“I am also demanding that the Minister of Energy must immediately resign for gross incompetence,” Nankhumwa said.
The PDP President’s comments come after months of public frustration over the government’s inability to resolve the fuel crisis, with many accusing the administration of a lack of preparedness and poor management.
The government had initially promised that the situation would be temporary and resolved in a matter of days, but five weeks later, the crisis persists, with the situation continuing to worsen.
While the government has remained largely silent on the matter, Nankhumwa’s call for direct accountability and immediate action reflects the growing public disillusionment with the administration’s handling of the crisis.
