Engineer Vitumbiko Mumba has been barred from contesting at the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) convention, scheduled to start on August 8, 2024, in Lilongwe.
Mumba, who has already spent millions of kwachas in his nationwide campaign, was vying for the position of First Vice President of the party.
MCP President Lazarus Chakwera is going unopposed.
Addressing the press in Lilongwe on Tuesday, Chairperson for the Convention Steering Committee, Kezzie Msukwa, stated that the role of vetting candidates rested in the hands of the elections management committee.
He explained that among other criteria, they were looking for candidates who have shown loyalty to the party and Chakwera, as well as those who have been active on the ground.
Mumba was set to compete with Msukwa himself, Moses Kumkuyu, Ken Zikhale Ng’oma, and Catherine Gotani Hara, whose nominations have been accepted.
However, former MCP legislator Alex Meja and Chatinkha Chidzanja Nkhoma are missing from the list, as they were eyeing the secretary general’s office.
Meja has been a fierce critic of Chakwera’s leadership within the party, while Chidzanja Nkhoma left the party for the former ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and rejoined MCP recently.
Nsukwa said the party received 224 nominations for all position, 205 have been accepted.
