The President of Malawi Lazarus Chakwera has reportedly reduced the size of his cabinet in a reshuffle.
According to the BBC, the list of ministers and deputy ministers in Chakwera’s cabinet has been reduced from 33 to 27, but critics say it is still too large.
The reshuffle was expected following reports that a number of ministers were implicated in a corruption investigation being carried out by Malawi’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) and the UK’s National Crimes Agency, BBC reports.
Mr Chakwera has not allocated himself a ministerial portfolio as was the case previously, BBC understand, and he also did not allocate ministerial responsibilities to his Vice-President Saulos Chilima – who is facing corruption charges that he denies.
The vice-president remains in office because under Malawi law he cannot be sacked.
Senior party members from the ruling coalition were also left out of the new cabinet.