LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-Opposition Leader Simplex Chithyola Banda has delivered a grim assessment of Malawi’s economy, telling residents of Bwaila that ordinary families are bearing the full weight of a collapsing currency, rising prices and shrinking opportunities.
Addressing a political rally at Nguluwe Primary School in Chinsapo Township on Saturday, ahead of the Bwaila parliamentary by-election scheduled for Tuesday, 30 June 2026, Chithyola urged voters to elect Malawi Congress Party parliamentary candidate Precious Kabambe, arguing that the country’s economic crisis has reached unbearable levels.
“The Kwacha is falling, prices are rising, jobs are disappearing and families can no longer cope,” Chithyola declared. “Malawians are working harder than ever, yet life keeps getting worse.”
He accused the government of presiding over an economy where every sector is under pressure.
“Our farmers are producing crops but earning very little. Civil servants receive salaries that are swallowed by taxes before they even reach home. Young people have finished school but have nowhere to work. Every week the prices of maize, fuel, medicine and soap continue to rise,” he said.
Chithyola warned that the low prices farmers are receiving for maize could have devastating consequences beyond this year’s harvest.
“When farmers cannot recover the cost of production, many will simply stop producing. Low maize prices today may look attractive to consumers, but they threaten future productivity and could result in hunger in the years ahead,” he said.
The opposition leader devoted much of his address to the weakening Malawi Kwacha, arguing that although government maintains an official exchange rate, businesses are already paying much higher rates when importing goods.
“The official exchange rate is over K1,740 to the US Dollar, yet importers are being charged at K1,864,” he said. “That is devaluation in everything but name. Government may not announce it publicly, but ordinary Malawians are paying for it every time they buy food, fuel or medicine.”
He also criticised government for suspending the repatriation programme for stranded Malawians in South Africa because of a lack of resources, saying the development reflected misplaced priorities.
“Our fellow citizens are stranded outside their own country because government says it has no resources to bring them home. That is not simply a financial problem—it is a lack of seriousness in protecting the welfare of Malawians,” he said.
Chithyola warned that continued pressure on foreign exchange reserves and declining tobacco earnings could further weaken the local currency.
“How can we expect the Kwacha to recover when we are failing to protect tobacco, our biggest source of foreign exchange? If tobacco suffers, forex suffers. If forex suffers, the Kwacha suffers. When the Kwacha suffers, every household pays the price.”
Despite the gloomy picture, Chithyola said he believes change is possible.
“I see a Malawi Congress Party government in 2030 that will stabilise the Kwacha, support farmers, create jobs for our youths, reduce the burden of taxes and restore dignity to every Malawian family,” he said.
The rally formed part of the opposition’s campaign ahead of Tuesday’s Bwaila parliamentary by-election, with the party urging residents to back Precious Kabambe as its candidate.
