MALAWI - MUTHARIKA SURPRISES WITH NEW CABINET

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SUBJECT: MALAWI - MUTHARIKA SURPRISES WITH NEW CABINET

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1. (U) President Mutharika unveiled a new cabinet that
included some surprising changes. Most notable was the move
of widely-praised, former Finance Minister Goodall Gondwe to
Minister of Local Government and Rural Development.
Including Gondwe, Mutharika retained 6 former cabinet
ministers, but moved all to different ministries. Mutharika
did not reappoint four of his former ministers, despite their
reelection to Parliament. All of the new cabinet members are
also members of Parliament, defying speculation that
Mutharika might appoint professionals from outside the
legislative branch to these executive positions. Mutharika
maintained 21 government ministries and named 40 members,
including deputy ministers, to the cabinet. The President
kept the title of Minister of Agriculture, but relinquished
the title of Minister of Education. Malawians have commended
Mutharika for continuing to be regionally inclusive (50%
South, 25% Central, 25% North) and for promoting women into
leadership positions with 11 women in the cabinet, the most
ever for Malawi.



2. (U) The new list of Ministers is as follows:


1. Minister of Agriculture
President Dr. Bingu wa Mutharika


2. Minister of Foreign Affairs
Hon. Prof. Etta Banda


3. Minister of Finance
Hon. Ken Kandodo


4. Minister of Education, Science and Technology
Hon. Dr. George Chaponda


5. Minister of Development Planning and Cooperation
Hon. Abbie Shaba


6. Minister of Transport and Public Infrastructure
Hon. Khumbo Kachali


7. Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs
Hon. Prof. A. Peter Mutharika


8. Minister of Irrigation and Water Development
Hon. Richie Muheya


9. Minister of Local Government and Rural Development
Hon. Goodall Gondwe


10. Minister of Industry and Trade
Hon. Eunice Kazembe


11. Minister of Lands, Housing, and Urban Development
Hon. Prof. Peter Mwanza


12. Minister of Gender, Child Development and Community
Development
Hon. Patricia Kaliati


13. Minister of Tourism, Wildlife, and Culture
Hon. Anna Kachiko


14. Minister of Labor
Hon. Yunnus Mussa


15. Minister of Youth Development and Sports
Hon. Dr. Lucious Kanyumba


16. Minister of Health
Hon. Prof. Moses Chirambo, MD


17. Minister of Internal Affairs and Public Security
Hon. Aaron Sangala


18. Minister of National Defense
Hon. Sidik Mia


19. Minister of Information and Civic Education
Hon. Thotho Leckford Mwanza


20. Minister of Natural Resources, Energy, and Environment
Hon. Grain Malunga


21. Minister of Persons with Disabilities and the Elderly
Hon. Rene Kachere

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3. (SBU) Following are brief biographies for key Ministers:

Minister of Foreign Affairs - Prof. Etta Banda is a medical
professional and has served as Principal of Malawi's College
of Nursing and Mzuzu University. She received her doctorate
degree in the U.S. and also studied in Kenya. Banda is the
former chairperson for the WHO's Global Advisory Group on
Nursing and Midwifery.

Minister of Finance - Ken Kandodo is an economist and
businessman who most recently served as the head of the
Malawi Food Reserve Agency. Kandodo received a bachelor's
degree (economics) from Chancellor College in Malawi, a
master's degree (finance) from the United Kingdom, and a
postgraduate diploma (accounting) from Scotland. Kandodo has
worked as an auditor for KPMG in the UK and as a foreign
investment advisor in Mozambique. He was also operations
manager at Blantyre Print and Packaging, which publishes the
largest daily newspaper in Malawi.

Minister of Education, Science, and Technology - Dr. George
Chaponda is a former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister
of Local Government. He retired in 2002 from the UN High
Commission on Refugees where he last served as Deputy
Regional Director for East and the Horn of Africa. Chaponda
received bachelor's (history) and master's (political
science) degrees at the University of Delhi and he studied
law at the University of Zambia. Dr. Chaponda also has
master's and doctorate (law) from Yale University.

Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs - Prof. A.
Peter Mutharika is the younger brother of President Bingu wa
Mutharika. Prof. Mutharika served in the President's
previous administration as senior advisor and continues to
hold a position as professor of law at Washington University
in St. Louis. He has taught at the University of Dar es
Salaam, Haile Selassie University in Ethiopia, Rutgers
University, and Makerere University in Uganda. He is
considered an expert on international economic law,
international law, and comparative constitutional law. Prof.
Mutharika has a bachelor's degree (law) from London
University and master's and doctorate degrees (law) from Yale
University.

Minister of Local Government and Rural Development - Goodall
Gondwe is the former Minister of Finance. Prior to returning
to Malawi in 2002 to become Chief Economic Advisor to former
President Muluzi, Gondwe worked at the African Development
Bank and the International Monetary Fund, rising to Deputy
Director of the Africa Department at the IMF. Gondwe has a
bachelor's degree (economics) from the United Kingdom.

Minister of Industry and Trade - Eunice Kazembe is Malawi's
former ambassador to Taiwan and was previously chairperson of
Press Corporation, the largest conglomerate in Malawi.
Kazembe holds a bachelor's degree (commerce) from Carton
University in Ottawa and a master's (business administration)
from Indiana University.

Minister of Gender, Child Development, and Community
Development - Patricia Kaliati is a former Minister of
Information and Civic Education and Minister of Tourism. She
was a primary and secondary school teacher before being
elected to Parliament.

Minister of Health - Prof. Moses Chirambo was Malawi's first
ophthalmologist and established eye clinics in Lilongwe and
Blantyre in the 1970s and an ophthalmic training program in

1980. Dr. Chirambo performed his medical residency in Israel.

Minister of National Defense - Sidik Mia is the former
Minister of Irrigation and Water Development. Mia was a
founding member of Mutharika's Democratic Progressive Party.
He has an unspecified Malawian diploma in business and is the
Managing Director of a private beef production company.


4. (SBU) Comment: The President has characterized this
Cabinet as Malawi's best ever. While some key ministers have
extensive credentials, and others appear less experienced in
their subject areas, we foresee no problem in maintaining our
productive, positive and close working relationships with the
GOM.
BODDE