State spies put Catholic Bishop Mtumbuka, Malawi activists under surveillance over ‘regime change’ agenda

The dreaded National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) has put on surveillance Bishop Dr Martin Mtumbuka of Karonga Diocese of the influential Catholic Church and other activists following its intelligence gathering that the bishop has joined  the underground movement discussing a regime change agenda in Malawi, Nyasa Times understands.

The state spies are following His Grace Bishop Mtumbuka after its intelligence notes claim  the Public Affairs Committee (PAC) has successfully convinced him to join the movement that has been  discussing the possibility of having  President Arthur Peter Mutharika removed  from power before the next general elections slated for 2019.

News about plans for regime change started emerging in January this year with strong links to the American government through its Malawian envoy Virginia Palmer. Then, the US government dismissed the reports as mere rhetoric.

However, the NIB allegations were trumpted after an all-inclusive PAC Conference in Blantyre where some religious leaders, PAC leaders and the opposition demanded the resignationa of President Mutharika. But following pressure from the Mutharika administration, this demand was later withdrawn.

Bishop Mtumbuka is reported by NIB spies that he was one of the people that attended a meeting discussing Malawi situation.

Held in the northern region city of Mzuzu on 1st June, 2016, the PAC’s Northern Region Chapter led by Reverend Father Mtekateka of Karonga Anglican Church convened a meeting whose main agenda was to deliberate the shortfalls of the governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and its leader, President Mutharika.

Information from the Mzuzu meeting which was chaired by PAC Executive Director Robert Phiri agreed to the aspirations of the PAC National Committee to establish a powerful force for regime change in Malawi.

It is revealed that the meeting targeted all influential people in the Northern region.

Apart from Bishop Mtumbuka, Fr Mtekateka and Phiri, also involved in the Mzuzu talks were; Monsignor Chitete, Wavisanga Silungwe the Chairman of the Karonga Business Community, Cossam Munthali of FOCUS NGO and Deputy Chairperson of CONGOMA and Moses Mkandawire of the
Church and Society of the Livingstonia Synod.

The Mzuzu meeting agreed that in case President Mutharika hangs around until 2019, then they should all rally their support towards a candidate who will be a face of change and transformative  leadership the country needs during the 2019 general elections.

During the meeting, Monsignor Chitete assured the gathering of the legality of campaigning to have change of government, saying there would be no problems as all was thought through. This was after some members in the meeting expressing some reservations that they could be arrested.

State spies ‘compromised’

NIB boss Nicholous Dausi refused to comment, saying he cannot discuss security and intelligence matters in the media.

But recently, Malawi’s former ambassador to Japan, Dr John Chikago warned President Mutharika against trusting intelligence reports from NIB as gospel truth.

“The problem is that the NIB head is a politician, that is why he is cooking up such lies…they just want to shift people’s attention from the real economic problems the country is facing,” said Chikago.

He asked the President to disregard the intelligence reports, saying they have potential to just confuse the Head of State.

Chikago doubted if anyone can be interested to take over the government whose economy, he said is in tatters and beset by numerous problems in all fronts.

“The President should be at peace. He has state security and everything,” said  free-talking Chikago.

However, Chikago fell short of calling on President Mutharika to fire Dausi.

Dausi was an intelligence officer in the defunct Malawi Young Pioneers and was later attached to former head of state Kamuzu Banda during one party dictatorship  before taking up politics as a career. He is a former top member of  Malawi Congress Party (MCP) – which also had put Catholic bishops on surveillance when they released a famous ‘Living our faith’ pastoral letter against one party dictatorship.

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