Gender rights campaigners have asked President Lazarus Chakwera to be gender sensitive as he appoints and assesses his cabinet. President Chakwera is expected to reshuffle his cabinet in the next few hours.
Barbara Banda, one of the gender rights campaigners in the country, has said they expect more women representation in cabinet as laws require and as efforts to empower women continue.
In December last year, women’s rights groups and other civil society groups in Malawi held street protests against the president’s failure to achieve gender balance in his recent public service appointments.
The protesters accused Chakwera of failing to fulfill the Gender Equality Act which requires 60-40 representation of either men or women in public appointments.
Chakwera’s recent appointment of members in 54 boards of public institutions, where only 20% of them are women.
The activists also protested low female representation in Chakwera’s 31-member cabinet, where only four women were given full ministerial positions.