The Cabinet Report Card: Who is delivering and who is just talking.

A performance-based assessment of President Mutharika’s ministers

Nearly one year into President Arthur Peter Mutharika’s administration, the question is no longer who has attended the most meetings, travelled the most or issued the most statements.

The question is much simpler:

What has changed for Malawians?

That is the basis of this Cabinet performance assessment.

We have looked at the work of the 19 ministers from their appointment into Cabinet and, where applicable, their subsequent reassignment to their current portfolios.

The assessment considers tangible delivery, implementation, institutional reform, public accountability and whether ordinary Malawians can reasonably see or benefit from the work being done.

This is not a popularity contest.

A minister does not receive a high mark for holding five press conferences or moving up and down.

Equally, a minister should not automatically receive a low mark because a problem inherited from a previous administration has not been solved in months.

The important distinction is between activity and results.

Our score is out of 10.

One important caveat: public evidence is much stronger for some ministries than others. Where a minister’s work has not produced enough independently verifiable, measurable results, the score reflects that lack of demonstrable delivery.

Absence of evidence is not automatically evidence of failure.

1. CHIMWEMWE CHIPUNGU

Lands, Housing & Urban Development

The strongest performer in our assessment.

Hon Chimwemwe Chipungu.

Chipungu’s biggest advantage is that his ministry has moved from talking about land reform to actually exposing how badly the system has been managed.

The land ownership audit launched in February has produced tangible findings in Lilongwe’s Areas 3 and 10.

The exercise has uncovered registration gaps, poor records, irregular allocations and weaknesses in the collection of ground rent and development charges.

Records dating back to 2016 were found not to adequately capture subsequent subdivisions and other changes.That matters because land administration is not an abstract government issue.It affects ordinary Malawians buying houses, building homes, paying ground rent and trying to establish whether the land they have bought actually belongs to them.

Chipungu has also been involved in finding a resettlement solution for displaced families in Nkhata Bay, with government identifying land for possible relocation and working with district councils and disaster management authorities.

The weakness?

The land audit is still an audit. Its ultimate value will be determined by what happens to people found to have obtained land irregularly.The next test is prosecution, recovery and correction not another press conference.

Score: 7.8/10

2. BEN PHIRI

Local Government & Rural Development

Phiri’s strongest achievement is putting money and accountability at the centre of decentralisation.

Hon Ben Phiri

The reformed Constituency Development Fund has been pegged at K5 billion per constituency, with government developing guidelines covering planning, budgeting, procurement, implementation, monitoring and reporting.

Under the framework, 72 percent of the allocation is intended for infrastructure development.That is potentially one of the most consequential changes for communities because CDF is where government policy becomes classrooms, bridges, health facilities and other local projects.

Phiri has also initiated mass transfers of council officers as part of an effort to break alleged corruption cartels in district councils.And importantly, the ministry is beginning to use performance based funding.

Dowa District Council, for example, emerged top in the 2025/26 Local Assembly Performance Assessment and became eligible for approximately K2.226 billion under performance linked programmes.

But there is a danger.

K5 billion per constituency is a massive amount of public money. The minister’s real legacy will depend on whether the money produces durable projects rather than becoming another political distribution mechanism.

Score: 7.5/10

3. ROZA FATCH MBILIZI

Agriculture, Irrigation & Water Development

Mbilizi has one of the hardest jobs in government: fixing agriculture while Malawi remains vulnerable to food insecurity and climate shocks.

Hon Roza Mbilizi Fatch.

There are measurable signs of progress.By March 13, 2026, 925,428 farmers had redeemed inputs under FISP, representing an 84 percent redemption rate, compared with 64 percent during the comparable period in previous seasons.

The ministry attributed part of the improvement to constituency purchasing points, mobile selling points and MDF support in hard-to-reach areas.

Government has also allocated K100 billion for maize procurement for the Strategic Grain Reserve, while ADMARC received K10 billion to purchase crops from farmers.

Mbilizi has also pushed irrigation and water projects, including efforts to secure US$200 million to complete the Salima-Lilongwe Water Supply Project, a US$315 million project designed to deliver 100 million litres of water per day.

The ministry has additionally launched the second phase of an agricultural mechanisation initiative, expanding the tractor fleet involved from 23 to 40.

The big problem is that Malawi’s food-security crisis has not disappeared.The minister therefore gets credit for improving systems and implementation, but not a blank cheque.

Score: 7.2/10

4. BRIGHT MSAKA

Education, Science & Technology

Msaka has one enormous achievement on his scorecard:

Free Primary and Secondary Education.

Hon Bright Msaka

The policy has removed tuition fees at public secondary schools and expanded access to secondary education. The ministry has also been recruiting teachers and expanding school infrastructure.

There are also some encouraging numbers. The JCE pass rate increased from 77.61% in 2025 to 81.21% in 2026 an improvement of 3.6 percentage points.

More importantly, the number of PSLCE candidates progressing into secondary school rose sharply, with 110,522 learners selected for Form 1, pushing the transition rate from 47.59% in 2025 to 55.57% in 2026.

But the picture is not entirely rosy.

The PSLCE pass rate actually fell from 87.50% in 2025 to 81.17% this year. Out of 245,048 candidates who sat the examination, 198,903 passed.

And that is where Msaka’s real test begins.

Free education creates demand.

More children entering secondary school means Government needs more classrooms, more teachers, more textbooks and more money for schools.

That pressure is already visible.

In Dowa, 13 twin classroom blocks and 14 latrine blocks were handed over to seven Community Day Secondary Schools, directly addressing congestion and sanitation challenges.

Msaka has also engaged grant-aided schools over difficulties surrounding implementation of free secondary education.The policy is therefore a strong start.

But the minister’s second-year challenge is obvious:

Free education must become quality education. Access is improving. JCE performance has improved. More learners are reaching secondary school.

But the falling PSLCE pass rate is a warning that quantity cannot be allowed to come at the expense of quality.

Score: 6.8/10

5. JOEL CHIGONA

Labour, Skills & Innovation

Chigona has perhaps one of the most underrated portfolios because skills development is directly linked to Malawi’s unemployment crisis.

Hon Joel chigona.

His ministry has been involved in the expansion of technical and vocational education.

At Lilongwe Technical College, the Skills for a Vibrant Economy project includes new female hostels aimed at improving access and the learning environment for women.

In June, Chigona also promoted technical skills through the national skills competition, challenging the stigma that technical education is meant for people who have failed academically.

A Centre of Vocational Excellence at Lilongwe Technical College is another important development, with UNOPS describing the project as part of efforts to align TEVET with labour market needs and employment.

His weakness is scale.

Malawi needs hundreds of thousands of jobs, while training programmes remain relatively small compared with the size of the youth population.

Score: 6.5/10

6. GEORGE CHAPONDA

Foreign Affairs

Chaponda has been one of the most visible ministers internationally.

Hon George Chaponda.

He has pushed the idea that foreign policy must serve economic interests, including investment, trade, energy, agriculture and infrastructure.

The Government-UN Partnership Dialogue held in February was co-chaired by Chaponda and the UN Resident Coordinator and was designed to reshape cooperation around Malawi’s development priorities.

He has also been involved in Malawi-EU discussions focusing on Global Gateway investments in energy, transport, education and agriculture.His ministry has maintained active regional engagement, including SADC diplomacy and bilateral engagement with Mozambique.

But foreign policy ultimately needs numbers.

How much new investment?

How many jobs?

How much additional export revenue?

How many Malawians abroad have received better consular protection?

That is where Chaponda’s score stops short of the top tier.

Score: 6.4/10

7. FESTON KAUPA

Defence

Kaupa’s performance has been more about institutional management and military welfare than dramatic public projects.

Hon feston Kaupa.

The Ministry of Defence commissioned a nearly K1 billion water-reticulation rehabilitation project at the Malawi Navy’s Monkey Bay base.

The project replaced an outdated system with prepaid metering, reducing leakages and improving accountability for water consumption.

Kaupa has also been active in defence cooperation, including engagement with Mozambique and China.He has also appeared before Parliament’s committee investigating the Chilima plane crash, explaining the distinction between civilian ministry oversight and operational command by the MDF.

The weakness is that much of defence delivery is necessarily less visible to ordinary citizens.

Score: 6.2/10

8. JOSEPH MWANAMVEKA

Finance, Economic Planning & Decentralisation

Mwanamveka’s portfolio is perhaps the hardest to judge by ribbon cutting ceremonies.

Hon Joseph Mwanamveka

His real test is whether Malawians can actually feel an improvement in their pockets.His biggest responsibility has been macroeconomic stabilisation and there are some early signs that the economy is moving in the right direction.

Inflation, for example, eased from 21.1% in June to 20.8% in July 2026. Food inflation also declined from 14.7% to 14.3% over the same period.

The IMF has also acknowledged Government’s recent efforts to reflect global market prices, stabilise the fiscal situation and address food-security challenges.

In June, an IMF team held discussions with Mwanamveka and other senior officials on a possible new Extended Credit Facility (ECF) arrangement to support Malawi’s economic recovery.

Mwanamveka has also overseen the 2026/27 national budget, which projects GDP growth of 3.8% in 2026 and 4.9% in 2027, on the back of continued economic reforms under the National Economic Recovery Plan.

But the numbers also tell a sobering story.

An inflation rate of 20.8% is still painfully high. The month-to-month inflation rate reached 2.0% in July, while rural areas recorded an even higher monthly increase of 2.6%.

Malawi also remains under considerable debt pressure. IMF records show that the country made SDR26.6 million in repayments to the Fund between April and June 2026 alone, while further repayments and charges remain scheduled for the rest of the year.

The proposed ECF is therefore important but it is not an achievement yet.

Discussions are continuing, and the IMF has made it clear that any programme will depend on Malawi implementing credible economic reforms.

So Mwanamveka gets credit for beginning to put the economy on a more disciplined path.

But the ordinary Malawian is still asking a simpler question:When will economic stabilisation move from government spreadsheets to the supermarket, the market and the household kitchen?

Until that happens, Mwanamveka’s economic recovery remains a work in progress.

Score: 6.2/10

9. PETER MUKHITO

Homeland Security

Mukhito gets credit for moving beyond domestic policing into regional security cooperation.

Hon Peter Mukhitho

Malawi hosted the 31st SADC Police Chiefs meeting in June, where Mukhito highlighted the need for coordinated action against drug trafficking, cybercrime, human trafficking, financial crime, wildlife crime and terrorism.

His ministry has also overseen important immigration and identity-management reforms. The National Registration Bureau reported progress in the national birth-registration campaign, with Mukhito personally inspecting implementation in Dedza.

The 2026 Immigration Amendment Regulations were also issued under his ministry.

But security is judged by what happens on the streets.Crime, killings and document backlogs remain significant concerns.

Score: 5.9/10

10. JAPPIE MHANGO

Transport & Public Works

There is visible movement under Mhango, particularly on major road infrastructure.

Hon Jappie Mhango.

In July, Government launched the rehabilitation of the M1 between Bunda Turn-off in Lilongwe and Kameza Roundabout in Blantyre, a major project covering one of the country’s most important transport corridors.

Government says more than K100 billion has been committed to the project.There is also movement on the Golomoti–Monkey Bay M10, where rehabilitation and reconstruction of Lot 1 was launched in July.

The road is strategically important because it provides a shorter connection between Lilongwe, Mangochi and key lakeshore tourism, fishing and agricultural areas.

Mhango has therefore not been sitting in the office signing papers. There are projects on the ground.

But then comes the elephant in the room:

Chiweta–Karonga.The badly damaged 105-kilometre section of the M1 has become a test of whether Government can turn promises into actual roads.

Government initially indicated that construction would begin in September 2026.That has now been pushed to November.

Mhango says the original September timeline was set too quickly and that additional requirements were discovered during the procurement process, forcing changes to the bidding process and giving contractors more time.

Government says funding is available and that works are expected to take 24 months once they begin.

Administratively, that explanation may make sense.But people in the North are not measuring the minister by procurement explanations.They are measuring him by the road.

The Chiweta–Karonga route is not just another road. It is a critical transport corridor connecting the northern region to the rest of the country and carrying trade and traffic towards the Dar es Salaam corridor. Its continued deterioration has already triggered pressure from civil society organisations, traditional leaders and road users.

So Mhango gets credit for visible movement on several major projects.

But until the bulldozers actually arrive in Chiweta and the M1 begins to look like a road again, the score cannot be much higher.

There is movement. But there is still too much road left to travel.

Score: 5.8/10

11. CHARLES MHANGO

Justice & Constitutional Affairs

Mhango’s ministry has been active, but the results are mixed.

Honourable Charles Mhango

The ministry has also been active on mining-law compliance and constitutional matters.

One positive development is the minister’s handling of the Ombudsman’s systemic investigation into failures in the Immigration Department. He presented the report to Parliament and successfully moved for referral to the Legal Affairs Committee for scrutiny and oversight.

But justice is ultimately measured by access to justice.Court delays, case backlogs and institutional weaknesses remain significant.

The minister therefore receives credit for engagement and oversight, but the public is still waiting for faster justice.

Score: 5.8/10

12. SHADRICK NAMALOMBA

Information & Communication Technology

Namalomba’s ministry sits at the centre of Malawi’s digital transformation agenda.

Honourable Shadrick Namalomba

There has been progress in digital identity and government-service infrastructure.

The National Registration Bureau, for example, launched digital identity-verification innovations aimed at allowing banks and other institutions to verify identities more efficiently.

The ministry has also been closely involved in public-sector communication and government information management.

But Malawi’s digital transformation is still more promise than revolution.

Many government services remain largely manual, and digital access is still uneven.

The minister therefore has a potentially transformative portfolio but needs more visible citizen-facing digital services.

Score: 5.8/10

13. MARY NAVICHA

Gender, Children, Disability & Social Welfare

Navicha has maintained a visible advocacy role around women, children and vulnerable groups.

Honourable Mary Navicha.

Her ministry has also engaged internationally, including discussions with Scottish institutions on social development issues.

But this portfolio is difficult to score highly on speeches and conferences.

The public needs measurable reductions in child marriage, gender-based violence, exclusion of people with disabilities and extreme poverty.

Social protection must also reach people reliably and transparently.

The ministry’s policy direction is visible, but hard outcome data attributable to the minister’s tenure remain limited.

Score: 5.5/10

14. PATRICIA WISKIES

Natural Resources

Wiskies has had a relatively short period in the Natural Resources portfolio after being moved from Youth, Sports and Culture in January 2026.

But Malawi’s environmental problem is bigger than tree-planting ceremonies.

Honourable Patricia Wiskes.

Deforestation, illegal charcoal production and degradation continue.The minister therefore gets credit for keeping conservation on the agenda, but the real test will be enforcement.

The ministry has continued work around forest conservation, tree planting, agroforestry and regulation of charcoal and timber.

Score: 5.3/10

15. JEAN MATHANGA

Energy

Mathanga’s ministry has one major achievement that deserves recognition:

Malawi’s first utility-scale battery energy storage system.The 20MW/40MWh battery system at Kanengo in Lilongwe was commissioned in July, marking a significant development for Malawi’s fragile electricity grid.

Honourable Jean Mathanga.

The system is designed to improve grid stability, store excess renewable energy and help reduce load-shedding.

ESCOM says it could also help recover around 100MW of renewable generation that was previously being curtailed.There is another impressive target attached to the project.

ESCOM expects the battery to help connect an additional 600,000 households and reduce scheduled blackouts from around four hours to less than two hours.

That is significant.

But the electricity test remains brutal.

Only about one in four Malawians currently has access to electricity.

Government wants to push access to 70% by 2030, while hydropower still dominates the country’s electricity generation and remains vulnerable to climate shocks.

And for those already connected, the question is much simpler:

Is there power?

Frequent blackouts continue to hurt households, businesses and industries, with businesses forced to rely on expensive alternatives to keep operating.

The battery is therefore a very good beginning but it is not a power station.

It can store electricity and strengthen the grid, but Malawi still needs more generation, stronger transmission and distribution infrastructure, greater diversification away from hydropower and millions more connections.

Mathanga can therefore claim a significant technological milestone.

But Malawians will ultimately judge the Energy Minister not by the size of the battery, but by whether the lights stay on.

The battery is here. The real test is whether it can finally make the darkness shorter.

Score: 5.0/10

16. SIMON ITAYE

Industrialisation, Business, Trade & Tourism

Itaye is perhaps one of the most vocal ministers when it comes to industrialisation.

Honourable Simeon Itaye

He has been visiting businesses, encouraging banks to finance agriculture, pushing SMEs towards value addition and exports, and challenging institutions such as MBS and SMEDCO to deliver tangible results.

During a visit to Village Farms, for example, he highlighted the potential of value-added maize products, coffee and honey for domestic and export markets. Village Farms says it wants to scale production and expand its markets beyond Malawi.

He has also been telling banks to treat farmers as partners rather than high-risk borrowers, arguing that agriculture must become an engine for industrial transformation, job creation, import substitution and export growth.

And in July, Itaye challenged MBS and SMEDCO to stop celebrating agreements and start delivering measurable results, warning that signing contracts means little if nothing changes on the ground.

All of that sounds good.

But there is a problem:

The minister appears to be talking more than he is delivering.For a minister responsible for industrialisation, business, trade and tourism, the scoreboard cannot be filled with factory visits, speeches, strategies and signing ceremonies.

It must show factories operating, businesses expanding, exports increasing, investment coming in and jobs being created.

And Malawi’s current numbers are not flattering.

The World Bank says Malawi’s export performance has deteriorated significantly over the past decade, with goods exports declining as a share of GDP and the number of exporting firms falling sharply.

Private investment also remains below the country’s potential.

That is precisely the territory where Itaye should be making his biggest mark.

Government has ambitious plans.

The new MSME strategy, for example, targets the formalisation of 100,000 informal enterprises and the creation of 500,000 jobs over five years.But targets are not achievements.The World Bank has identified reforms in mining, tourism and mango production that could potentially unlock more than 100,000 jobs and significantly expand exports.

The opportunity is there.The question is whether Itaye’s ministry can turn those opportunities into actual factories, actual investment and actual pay slips.

So far, there is plenty of movement around the ministry.

But not enough movement in the scoreboard.

For a minister whose portfolio is supposed to drive industrialisation, trade and jobs, that makes the current performance look less like hard work and more like sleeping on duty while delivering speeches about waking everyone else up.

Itaye gets credit for being vocal and for pushing institutions to produce results.But ultimately, the minister cannot industrialise Malawi with microphones.

He needs to deliver factories, exports, investment and jobs.

Score: 4.9/10

17. THOKO TEMBO

Mining

Mining remains one of Malawi’s biggest potential sources of foreign exchange and economic transformation.

Honourable Thoko Tembo

Yet this is precisely why the ministry must be judged harshly.

There is increasing attention to licensing, compliance and mineral-resource development, but the sector has not yet delivered the scale of economic transformation Malawians have been promised.

The Justice Ministry recently announced that government was directing mining companies to comply strictly with licensing laws.That is welcome, but it also highlights the unfinished work.

The country needs transparent contracts, proper licensing, local economic benefits, environmental safeguards and actual mineral revenues.

Score: 4.6/10

18. MADALITSO BALOYI

Health & Sanitation

Health remains one of the biggest tests of the Government’s performance, and Baloyi’s record is mixed.

Honourable Madaliso Baloyi

She has shown unusual willingness to confront problems directly.

Her undercover visit to Bwaila Hospital exposed alleged bribery, long queues and preferential treatment. She later spent a night working alongside midwives at Mangochi District Hospital, highlighting staffing pressures.

Government has also launched programmes aimed at improving maternal and newborn health.

But the bigger question is:

what has actually changed?

Drug shortages, inadequate equipment, poor infrastructure, staffing gaps and overcrowding continue to trouble public hospitals.

Baloyi deserves credit for going into the hospitals and seeing the problems herself.

But Malawians need more than inspections and dramatic visits.

They need functioning hospitals, available medicines and decent treatment.For now, the minister has shown more visibility than measurable transformation.

Score: 4.5/10

19. ALFRED GANGATA

Youth, Sports & Culture

Gangata inherited a portfolio with enormous public visibility but equally enormous expectations.

Honourable Alfred Gangata

The youth question is particularly important.

Malawi has a young population, high unemployment and limited opportunities for young people. The ministry therefore needs to demonstrate more than sporting events and motivational speeches.

There have been efforts to promote youth participation and sports, but there is still limited evidence of large-scale programmes that have materially changed youth employment or opportunities.

Women’s football is another area crying out for attention.

The success of the Malawi Scorchers has shown the enormous talent available, but women’s football needs more than moments of national celebration.

More clubs, players and women’s football programmes need sponsorship, investment and sustainable support.

This is also partly a question of time.

Gangata only moved into the Youth, Sports and Culture portfolio in January 2026 after previously serving in other Cabinet roles.

But ministerial time cannot become an excuse for inaction.

For now, the portfolio remains heavy on potential and visibility, but light on measurable transformation.

Score: 4.3/10

What this cabinet report really tell us.

The most interesting finding is that the strongest ministers are not necessarily the loudest.

The top performers have something in common: They have begun changing systems.

Chipungu’s land audit is exposing weaknesses that have existed for years.

Phiri has placed billions of kwacha into a decentralised development framework while introducing stronger accountability mechanisms.

Mbilizi has improved input redemption and put serious money behind food reserves and agricultural markets.

Msaka has implemented free secondary education while trying to expand the infrastructure needed to absorb new learners.These are not perfect performances.But they are measurable.

THE BIGGEST PROBLEM: DELIVERY

The Cabinet’s central weakness is that government announcements are still moving faster than government implementation.

A road can be launched but remain unfinished.

A policy can be announced without enough money behind it.

An investment can be discussed without a factory appearing.

A mining project can be licensed without the country seeing meaningful revenue.

A digitalisation programme can be announced while citizens continue queuing at government offices.

This is why several ministers remain below six.

THE SECOND-YEAR TEST

If President Mutharika wants the second year of his administration to be judged more favourably, his ministers need to move from policy announcements to measurable targets.

Every ministry should publish five simple numbers.

For Agriculture: How much food was produced?

For Energy: How many hours of electricity are households receiving?

For Health: How many essential medicines are actually available?

For Trade:How much have exports increased?

For Mining: How much revenue has entered government coffers?

For Education: How many classrooms and teachers have been added?

For Local Government: How many CDF projects have actually been completed?

For Lands: How many irregular allocations have been cancelled or corrected?

For Transport: How many kilometres of road have actually been completed?

For Youth: How many young people have obtained sustainable jobs or businesses?

That is the kind of Cabinet scorecard Malawians need.

Not how many meetings were held.

Not how many speeches were delivered.

Not how many foreign trips were made.

But what changed?

OUR FINAL VERDICT

President Mutharika’s Cabinet has produced some genuine institutional and policy movement during its first year, particularly in land administration, decentralisation, agriculture and education.

But the government has not yet crossed the most important bridge: turning administrative activity into widespread improvements in household life.

The second year therefore presents a simple challenge to every minister:Stop telling Malawians what you intend to do.

Show them what you have done.

And when the next report card comes, the strongest evidence should not be government press releases.

It should be visible on the ground.

AND NOW, THE PARASTATALS

The ministers have had their report cards.

But Government does not run through ministers alone.

Behind them sits another powerful layer of the public sector parastatal chief executive officers who control billions of kwacha, oversee major institutions and make decisions that directly affect Malawians.

So the next question is unavoidable:

How are Malawi’s parastatal CEOs performing?

That is the next report card

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