As Vitumbiko Mumba prepares to launch a student stipend program, another initiative has emerged to support needy students at the University of Malawi.
While the development could be good news for students struggling to meet the cost of education, sources familiar with the matter suggest the student support space may be turning into a political battleground.
Mumba’s People Over Politics Foundation is scheduled to launch at the Bingu International Convention Centre on Oct. 2, with its first major initiative being a stipend fund targeting needy students in public universities and colleges.
The foundation plans to commit about K1 billion to the program. But Mumba has struggled to get the foundation registered since January, a delay that has become another source of tension. The foundation says it submitted its application in January and responded to corrections raised by the Registrar General’s office in April.
Its lawyers have since given the Registrar General seven days to finalize the registration or explain the delay. Some sources familiar with the matter attribute the delay to efforts by DPP operatives to frustrate Mumba’s growing influence.
That claim has not been independently verified. The foundation says the delay has already affected its planned activities, including an opportunity to receive laptops from a prospective donor who required proof of registration.
Now, as Mumba prepares to launch his stipend program, the University of Malawi Alumni Association has launched a two-month Support a Student in Need campaign targeting at least 5,000 students.
The association, led by its president, Dr. Limbani Nsapato, says it wants to support students struggling with tuition, accommodation, food, stationery and other basic needs. Sources say some DPP operatives are wary of Mumba’s growing visibility and see the alumni campaign as another effort to overshadow his planned initiative.
There is no public evidence linking the DPP to the alumni campaign. The association has presented it as a response to the difficulties students are facing. The timing has nevertheless attracted attention.
Mumba had been engaging students through public lectures even before he was picked as Lazarus Chakwera’s running mate in the 2025 presidential election.
One of his lectures was held at the University of Malawi, the same institution whose alumni association has now launched the support campaign. His planned stipend program therefore places him directly in a space where students are an important constituency.
The foundation’s communications director, Blair Mhone, said it would proceed with the Oct. 2 launch and charitable activities even if registration is not completed.
Meanwhile, Nsapato said the alumni campaign is responding to a genuine crisis among students.
He said about 10,000 students currently need loans or grants to complete their education, while UNIMA has only 1,200 bed spaces against a requirement of 11,214.
The question remains whether the student support space is becoming another arena in which Mumba and his political opponents are competing for influence.
The developments come as Mumba faces treason-related charges arising from a press conference in which he expressed discontent with the 2025 election.
