By Robert Kumwenda

It is a well-known fact that youth make a major population of Malawi and are the ones that are hardly hit by the social economic challenges which the country is going through.

Because of high unemployment rate among them some of them resort in bad behavior of drug and alcohol abuse, prostitution and violent acts.

Having realized on the challenges which the youth are facing a young man by the name of Pemphero Mphande has decided to stand as a Member of parliament for Blantyre City South.

Mphande said as a young man he is keen for youthful voices to be represented in parliament so that the term ‘youth empowerment can make sense.

“This is emboldened by the fact that while the country is languishing in poverty, brilliant minds are not motivated to take part in politics,” he said.

The twenty six year Mpande who will stand under Umodzi Party (UP) ticket said as a Malawian citizen and citizen of Blantyre is concerned about poverty and lack of sustainable solutions to the problems people, the youth in particular are facing.

He said he does not want to a complainant but to be part of the solution and decision making process that will make Malawi prosperous.

“This is in line with the objective of UP to bring employment for all, as you its slogan is “Nchito mbwee!! There is no way we can make Malawi prosperous if young people are ignored in decision making process,” he said.

Mphande said what motivated him to stand as MP is when he met a blind woman and her son begging on the streets saying that he tried to take them back to their home and then he realized that there is abject poverty in the entire neighborhood.

He further said that he realized that taking them home was not enough but he gave the substantial amount of money amounting to k10,000 to help themselves and this happened in 2016.