Kenya has a lot to learn from Malawi

MALAWI conducted a general election recently.

Among the most significant outcomes of that election was the win by Mbingu wa Mutharika who retained his presidential seat despite stiff opposition.

Mr Mutharika had fallen ut with his former colleagues, including former president Bakili Muluzi after he decided to be his own man.

He implemented policies that he believed would improve the lot of his people.

Today, Malawi is one of the fastest growing economies in the world, registering a GDP growth of over seven per cent for the past three or so years. From a country that had been a net importer of maize, Malawi is today a net exporter of the crop to, among other countries, Kenya.

The lesson for Kenya from this scenario is that if the NARC administration had capitalised on the goodwill exhibited by the electorate after the December 2002 elections, maintained a united front and focused on sustaining the growth rate realised during the early years of the administration, the team would virtually have been re-elected unopposed in 2007.

And the chaos experienced after that year’s elections would never have come to pass.