HRDC demands transparency on Mutharika’s whereabouts

By Iommie Chiwalo

The Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) has called for transparency and verifiable reassurance on the whereabouts and capacity of President Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika, who has been outside the country for weeks now.

In a press statement signed by Chairperson Madalitso Banda and National Coordinator Kelvin Chirwa released today, the organisation says Malawians deserve credible answers and not endless speculation, even as the Presidency and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) insist the Malawi leader is in robust health.

On Sunday, the DPP Secretary General Peter Mukhito said he met President Mutharika in South Africa on 23 October and found him cheerful, vibrant, in good health and not bedridden as rumoured on social media. This followed similar assurances by Secretary to the President and Cabinet (SPC) Justin Saidi.

However, the coalition argues that statements from a party official or a presidential aide do not fully address legitimate public concerns about the President’s prolonged absence, his availability to discharge constitutional responsibilities, and the exercise of executive authority outside the country.

Titled “Malawi is Not a Private Affair: Where is the President?”, the statement says repeated absences warrant clear explanations, especially at a time when Malawians are facing fuel shortages, electricity blackouts, water scarcity, rising unemployment and a high cost of living, and therefore have a legitimate expectation of visible and accountable leadership.

“HRDC is calling on the Office of the President and Cabinet and State House to provide direct and verifiable public reassurance through a live appearance or other credible and independently verifiable communication that demonstrates the President’s ability to discharge his duties, without necessarily publishing confidential medical records,” said Chirwa and Banda.

The coalition further demands government to clarify the official status and expected duration of his current stay in South Africa and arrangements for continuity of leadership, account for the use of public resources and to uphold the Constitution, including Section 87 which provides for determining presidential incapacity.

Since assuming office in October 2025, President Mutharika has spent considerable periods in South Africa on trips described as private, having departed again on 6 October 2026 and remaining outside as of today with cumulative time estimated at approximately 72 days.