A growing pattern within President Peter Mutharika's administration is raising questions about the relevance and influence of Malawi's two Vice Presidents, with Cabinet ministers increasingly taking centre stage in executing key presidential functions while the country's second-highest offices remain largely in the shadows.
Since the beginning of the year, Mutharika has repeatedly bypassed First Vice President Jane Ansah and Second Vice President Enoch Chihana, assigning ministers to represent him at major national events and official functions traditionally attended by vice presidents.
The development has fueled speculation about possible political tensions within government and sparked debate about whether the Vice Presidents are being deliberately sidelined or whether the administration is simply pursuing a cost-cutting strategy.
The trend has been impossible to ignore.
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On January 15, Mutharika delegated Minister of Finance Joseph Mwanamvekha to represent him at John Chilembwe Day commemorations in Chiradzulu despite the existence of a sitting Second Vice President. While Ansah was away in the United Kingdom, Chihana remained in office but was overlooked.
The sidelining continued in subsequent months.
Both Vice Presidents were absent when Mutharika departed for a private trip to South Africa on March 1. Neither was deployed to represent the President at Martyrs Day commemorations in Nkhata Bay on March 3, a responsibility instead handed to Minister of Transport and Public Works Jappie Mhango.
Similarly, Minister of Sports, Youth and Culture Alfred Gangata represented government during Kamuzu Day commemorations on May 14.
Cabinet ministers have also increasingly presided over events that traditionally attract the President or Vice Presidents. Agriculture Minister Roza Fatch Mbilizi opened the tobacco marketing season at Kanengo, Chinkhoma, Limbe and Mzuzu, while Minister of Industrialisation, Trade and Tourism Simon Itaye officiated at the opening of the 36th Malawi International Trade Fair.
Adding to perceptions of diminished influence, Ansah was stripped of her responsibilities for Disaster Management Affairs and Public Service Reform, leaving observers questioning what substantive roles remain assigned to the Vice Presidents.
Government, however, insists there is nothing unusual about the arrangement.
Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) Director of Communications Focus Maganga said the President is merely exercising powers granted under Section 89(6) of the Constitution, which allows him to delegate duties to Cabinet ministers or other public officials through written authority.
Maganga dismissed suggestions of friction between Mutharika and his deputies.
"The Vice Presidency is, by its nature, a delegated office. From time to time, the President may, at his discretion, reassign or adjust responsibilities to enhance efficiency and effectiveness," said Maganga.
He added that administrative adjustments should not be interpreted as signs of discord but as efforts aimed at improving government performance during the administration's five-year mandate.
Despite the official explanation, governance experts believe the persistent grounding of the Vice Presidents raises important questions.
Government and Public Planning expert George Chaima said it is possible the two Vice Presidents are carrying out assignments from their offices that are not visible to the public.
However, he acknowledged that ministers have become the dominant faces at events previously reserved for the country's top leadership.
"We have seen mostly ministers presiding over events meant to be graced by the State President or his vice," Chaima observed.
While he stopped short of concluding that there is a power struggle, Chaima said the pattern could also point to internal political conflicts that remain hidden from public view.
Economist Christopher Mbukwa argued that although the arrangement may save public resources by reducing costly travel, the explanation goes beyond economics.
He believes the decision is largely political.
"I think the limit to the vice presidents' travel is more political than economics," said Mbukwa.
Private practice lawyer Benedicto Kondowe warned that while the President has broad constitutional authority to delegate responsibilities, removing previously assigned duties without clearly defining new ones risks creating uncertainty about the purpose of constitutional offices.
According to Kondowe, such actions can easily create a perception that important State offices are being marginalised.
Human Rights Consultative Committee (HRCC) chairperson Robert Mkwezalamba said taxpayers expect Vice Presidents to perform visible national functions and justify the resources allocated to their offices.
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He proposed assigning the two Vice Presidents clear ministerial responsibilities or structured national programmes to ensure they remain actively engaged in governance.
Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) chairperson Michael Kaiyatsa went further, questioning whether the Vice Presidency is being institutionally respected.
"In a presidential system, vice presidents are principal deputies of the President and are expected to represent him at important national functions when he is unavailable," said Kaiyatsa.
"Public offices must have substance, clarity and responsibility. If Vice Presidents are neither entrusted with meaningful portfolios nor deployed during critical national events, then the country must ask whether the office is being institutionally respected or politically neutralised."
As ministers continue to occupy spaces traditionally reserved for the Vice Presidents, the debate is intensifying over whether Mutharika is merely streamlining government operations or quietly reducing the influence of Malawi's two highest-ranking deputies.
