Kena Mphonda

Last updated

Kena Mphonda is a career diplomat and currently the Malawi High Commissioner [1] [2] [3] to the United Kingdom. [4] [5] [6] He was appointed on 14 March 2015. [7] [8] He succeeded Bernard Sande in 2015. He presented his credentials to Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom on 18 October 2015. [9]

Contents

Mphonda is also concurrently accredited to Iceland, Ireland, Finland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and Malta. He presented credentials to the President of Malta, Marie Louise Coleiro Preca, on 19 October 2015. [10] [11]

Education

He studied at Chancellor College in Malawi where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1984, obtained a Master of Arts degree in International Affairs at Ohio University at Athens in 1991. He was a Hubert Humphrey Fellow in International Relations at the American University in Washington DC in 1997/8.

Career

He has previously served in Washington DC at the Malawi Embassy as Deputy Ambassador [12] [13] [14] and as Second Secretary in Bonn, Germany.

He has also served as Chief of Protocol [15] for the Government of Malawi under late President Bingu wa Mutharika, ex President Joyce Banda and the current President, His Excellency Prof. Peter Arthur Mutharika.

For a couple of years, he also served in the Ministry of Finance and the Office of the President and Cabinet [16] in Malawi. [17] In 2018 he was awarded the 2018 Diplomat of the year for Africa in London. [18]

Personal

He is married to Mary Chokani, an Instructional Designer who has a passion for wildlife. [19]

Son to A.H. Mphonda, one of the first Malawian authors to publish school books with Miyambi Yatsopano [20] as the most known in secondary education. [21] His brother, Alick Mphonda, [22] is a graduate of Australian National University [23] working with the National Statistical Office in Malawi as a senior Statistician. [24]

Related Research Articles

Malawi Country in south central Africa

Malawi, officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast, and Mozambique to the east, south and southwest. Malawi spans over 118,484 km2 (45,747 sq mi) and has an estimated population of 19,431,566. Lake Malawi, also known as Lake Nyasa, takes up about a third of Malawi's area. Malawi's capital is Lilongwe. Its second-largest is Blantyre, its third-largest is Mzuzu and its fourth-largest is its former capital, Zomba. The name Malawi comes from the Maravi, an old name for the Chewa people who inhabit the area. The country is nicknamed "The Warm Heart of Africa" because of the friendliness of its people.

Malawian kwacha

The kwacha is the currency of Malawi as of 1971, replacing the Malawian pound. It is divided into 100 tambala. The kwacha replaced other types of currency, namely the UK pound sterling, the South African rand and the Rhodesian dollar, that had previously circulated through the Malawian economy. The exchange rate of the kwacha undergoes fixed periodical adjustments, but since 1994 the exchange rate has floated. In 2005, administrative measures were put in place by Bingu wa Mutharika to peg the exchange rate with other currencies. Banknotes are issued by the Reserve Bank of Malawi. In May 2012, the Reserve Bank of Malawi devalued the kwacha by 34% and unpegged it from the United States dollar.

Bingu wa Mutharika Politician and economist

Bingu wa Mutharika was a Malawian politician and economist who was President of Malawi from May 2004 until his death in April 2012. He was also President of the Democratic Progressive Party, which he founded in February 2005; it obtained a majority in Malawi's parliament in the 2009 general election. During his two terms in office, he was noted for being the Chairperson of the African Union in 2010–2011, as well as for several domestic controversies. In 2009, he purchased a private presidential jet for $13.26 million. This was followed almost immediately by a nationwide fuel shortage which was officially blamed on logistical problems, but was more likely due to the hard currency shortage caused by the freezing of aid by the international community He died in office from a cardiac arrest on 5 April 2012, at age 78.

Dr. George T. Chaponda is a Malawian career diplomat and politician who served as Malawi's Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development from 2016 to 2017. He is a founding member of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and is a DPP Member of Parliament from Mulanje district in southern Malawi.

John Zenus Ungapake Tembo is a Malawian politician who served for years as President of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP). Tembo comes from the Dedza District in central Malawi, and he is a teacher by profession. Beginning in the 1960s he was an important politician in Malawi, and he was a key figure in the regime of Hastings Banda (1964–1994). He has been variously described as "physically slight, ascetic, fastidious" and "cunning". He was replaced as President of the MCP in August 2013.

Joyce Banda Malawian politician

Joyce Hilda Banda is a Malawian politician who was the President of Malawi from 7 April 2012 to 31 May 2014. She is the founder and leader of the People's Party, created in 2011.

Goodall Gondwe

Goodall Edward Gondwe is a Malawian economist who served in the cabinet of Malawi as Minister of Finance from 2014 to 2019. Previously he was Minister of Finance from 2004 to 2009, Minister of Local Government from 2009 to 2010, and Minister of Natural Resources, Energy and Environment Affairs from 2011 to 2012.

Peter Mutharika Malawian politician

Arthur Peter Mutharika is a Malawian politician and lawyer who was President of Malawi from May 2014 to June 2020. Mutharika has worked in the field of international justice, specialising in international economic law, international law and comparative constitutional law. He informally served as an adviser to his older brother, President Bingu wa Mutharika, on issues of foreign and domestic policy from the onset of his election campaign until the President's death on 5 April 2012.

Jim Jumani Johansson was a Malawian-Swedish man who claimed to be the son of the late Malawian President Hastings Kamuzu Banda (1898-1997). He changed his name to Jim Jumani Immanuel Masauko Kamuzu Banda. Johansson says that it was after Banda died in 1997 that 'some government officials' told him about who his father really was. Officially, Banda died childless and unmarried. His claim and resemblance to the former dictator opened up many unanswered questions about the legacy of Banda. Johansson became a celebrity overnight in Malawi owing to his uncanny resemblance to the former president and his measures to seek legal means of proving his identity. Malawians were divided on whether he was the true heir but the public demanded a right to know as well. Focus Gwede, the head of Banda's Special Branch of Secret Police Services, came out in support of Johansson, claiming in 2010 that Banda had fathered three children.

Atupele Muluzi is a Malawian politician, businessman and was a Member of Parliament for Machinga North East constituency from 2004 until May 27, 2019. He is also the President of the United Democratic Front and was a presidential candidate during the 2019 election. He was a running mate in the 2020 presidential elections, on a coalition ticket with incumbent President Peter Mutharika of the Democratic Progressive Party. Muluzi was Minister of Natural Resources, Energy and Mining from 2014 to 2015 and the only opposition member to serve in the Mutharika administration. Subsequently, he served as Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security in 2015, and then Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development in 2015. He is currently Minister of Health. He is the son former president Bakili Muluzi.

Sam Mpasu was a Malawian politician, author, and former diplomat. He served as Minister of Commerce, Secretary General of the United Democratic Front (UDF) in 1999, and speaker of the Malawi National Assembly.

Flossie Gomile-Chidyaonga

Flossy Gomile-Chidyaonga was the Deputy High Commissioner of Malawi to Britain and Tanzania. She was involved in a diplomatic spat between Malawi and the United Kingdom in 2011 due to a leaked diplomatic cable, and was expelled. She was the Malawian High Commissioner to Tanzania.

The 2012 Malawian constitutional crisis occurred from April 5, 2012 - April 7, 2012 after senior members of the Democratic Progressive Party-led cabinet failed to notify the public of the death of the sitting president, Bingu wa Mutharika on April 5. Instead, cabinet ministers held a series of meetings in Lilongwe, Malawi without vice-president Joyce Banda with the aim of undermining the constitution and Banda's succession to Presidency. News confirming his death had, however, quickly spread across the country through word of mouth, cellphone text messages, Malawian bloggers, Twitter, Facebook, and on listservs by the end of the day on April 5, 2012. Therefore, the failure to announce his death resulted in speculation over the real health of the president and over whether the succession procedures would be followed as outlined in the constitution. According to the constitution, the vice-president takes over but there had been no official word on a successor or communication with the vice-president. Amidst growing speculation, the Cabinet announced that the president's brother, Peter Mutharika, the foreign minister, was the new President of the party on April 6. The Cabinet only announced his death two days after his death, after which Banda became Malawi's first female President.

Agnes Penemulungu is a Member of Parliament for Lilongwe South in Malawi. She was elected on President Mutharika's Democratic Progressive Party ticket.

Raphael (Ralph) Tenthani was a freelance journalist from Malawi. Tenthani was a BBC correspondent and a columnist for The Sunday Times. He was a respected journalist in Malawi well known for his popular column, "The Muckraking". He was well known for providing political analysis on topical issues. He had been the subject of controversy for his candid reporting on political issues. He was very critical of the crackdown on journalism during the Bingu wa Mutharika administration. He was also a columnist for Associated Press, Pan African News Agency, and the Maravi Post.

General Henry Odillo was Commander of the Malawian Defence Force. He was appointed as the commander General of Malawi defence force in July 2011 after the nationwide protests against Bingu wa Mutharika's presidency in which wa Mutharika accused the organizers of the protest of plotting a coup against him. He replaced General Marko Chiziko. Prior to this appointment he served as the military attache at the Malawi High Commission in London. General Odillo was dismissed by Malawi's new President Arthur Mutharika in June 2014. President Mutharika promoted Major-General Ignacio Maulana to the rank of General and appointed him the new Commander of the Army.

2014 Malawian general election

General elections were held in Malawi on 20 May 2014. They were Malawi's first tripartite elections, the first time the President, National Assembly and local councillors were elected on the same day. The presidential election was won by opposition candidate Peter Mutharika of the Democratic Progressive Party, who defeated incumbent President Joyce Banda.

Saulos Chilima Malawian economist and politician

Saulos Klaus Chilima is a Malawian economist and politician who is the current vice president of the Republic of Malawi. Chilima assumed office on 28 June 2020, winning the majority alongside presidential candidate Lazarus Chakwera. Chilima also serves as the current Minister of Economic Planning and Development, as well as Head of Public Sector Reforms, a position he previously held under the administration of former president Peter Mutharika. Before joining politics, Chilima held key leadership positions in various multi-national companies including Unilever, Coca-Cola and Airtel Malawi, where he rose to become Chief Executive Officer.

Grace Chiumia, is a Malawian politician who has served as Minister of Civic education in the Malawian cabinet, since 24 October 2017. Before her current appointment, she was the Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security, in the Malawian Cabinet, from 6 September 2016 until 24 October 2017.

References

  1. Shand, Angie (2015-11-06). "2015 visits and engagements". www.scottish.parliament.uk. Retrieved 2016-02-10.
  2. "Embassy events". www.embassymagazine.com. Retrieved 2016-02-11.
  3. Hub, Africa News. "News by topic :: Kena Mphonda". www.africanewshub.com. Retrieved 2016-02-11.
  4. "Malawi | DIPLOMAT MAGAZINE". DIPLOMAT MAGAZINE. Retrieved 2016-02-08.
  5. "Kena Mphonda | LinkedIn". mw.linkedin.com. Retrieved 2016-02-08.
  6. "Ken Mphonda | Malawi Nyasa Times – Malawi breaking news in Malawi". www.nyasatimes.com. Retrieved 2016-02-11.
  7. "malawi news".
  8. Banda, Blessings. "Malawi News Agency Online - Mutharika makes six diplomatic appointments". www.manaonline.gov.mw. Retrieved 2016-02-10.
  9. "Malawi envoy Mphonda presents credentials to Majesty Queen Elizabeth II". Malawi Nyasa Times - Malawi breaking news in Malawi. Retrieved 2016-02-08.
  10. Ltd, Allied Newspapers. "The President's engagements". Times of Malta. Retrieved 2016-02-08.
  11. "malta government".
  12. "Malawi. - Free Online Library". www.thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved 2016-02-10.
  13. "Macedonia -- Mozambique". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 2016-02-10.
  14. "Full text of "DIPLOMATIC-BOOKPDF by Oracle Reports 114p v15 Developer 2000 Bu8"". archive.org. Retrieved 2016-02-11.
  15. "Its 38 & not 72 man entourage, State House corrects critics as Mutharika leaves for US-Africa summit in Washington | Malawian Watchdog". www.malawianwatchdog.com. Retrieved 2016-02-11.
  16. Office of the President and Cabinet
  17. "website" (PDF).
  18. http://www.diplomatmagazine.com/tata-diplomat-of-the-year-awards-2018/
  19. "Lunch with the Malawian High Commissioner". Mishcon de Reya. Retrieved 2016-02-12.
  20. Depository, Book. "Malawi Rdr;Miyambi Yatsopano : Mphonda A : 9780333668870". www.bookdepository.com. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
  21. "National archives of Malawi - Bibliography - Customs and Folklore". www.sdnp.org.mw. Retrieved 2016-02-08.
  22. "alick mphonda | LinkedIn". www.linkedin.com. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
  23. "ANU graduations". Canberra Times. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
  24. "Evaluation. Evaluation of Norwegian support to capacity development Annex 7: Stakeholders interviewed. Report 10/2015. Photo: Ken Opprann". docplayer.net. Retrieved 2016-02-17.