I am a Malawian broadcast journalist, working with an international Christian radio network (TWR). I am a media executive, journalism trainer, online activist, passionate about many social and gender justice issues. Married to Thembi, we are blessed with three daughters and a son. I blog on http://ndagha.blogspot.com.
Latest posts by Victor Kaonga
Malawi's President Banda Versus ‘Selfish’ Members of Parliament
Malawi's President Joyce Banda has caused chaos in parliament by insisting that members of parliament not get their fuel allowance arrears, saying her government has no money to pay. The MPs are demanding fuel allowances backdated to 2009.
Nationwide Strike Delivers Blow to Malawi's President
Malawi's President Joyce Banda is beating back calls for her to resign after hundreds of thousands of civil servants demanding a wage increase went on a two-week long strike, shuttering the country's international airport and paralyzing hospitals and schools
Malawi's Economy: A Mountain Too High to Climb?
Since April 2012, when Joyce Banda took over the running of the Malawian government, citizens have been experiencing a mix of economic hope and despair - find out some of the reasons why.
Malawi: Online Journalist Arrested for Allegedly Insulting the President
Malawian online journalist Justice Mponda was arrested Monday morning 15 October 2012 in Blantyre allegedly for insulting the president, publishing false information and criminal libel. Mponda works with malawivoice.com. His arrest came in the wake of a new E-Bill, which seeks to regulate and control online communications in Malawi.
Oil Exploration Prompts Lake Malawi/Nyasa Ownership Dispute
News that Malawi is exploring oil on Lake Nyasa (also known as Lake Malawi) has attracted hot debate. While the Malawian government claims exclusive ownership, Tanzania is pressing for recognition of some earlier ownership of half of the lake.
Malawi: New Government, Costly Livelihood
The rising cost of living in Malawi has forced some Malawians to come up with innovative ways of making ends meet. Dalitso Chimwaza and several other friends earn a living from collections they make on a wooden brige they constructed across Lilongwe River in the capital city.
Malawi: Kondwani Munthali: Malawi's Blogger of the Year
Victor Kaonga interviews Kondwani Munthali who made history this month by becoming the first blogger to be awarded Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Blogging Award of the year in Malawi. Munthali has been blogging since 2007.
Malawi: Bloggers’ Reactions to New President Joyce Banda
A roundup of bloggers' comments and opinions about Joyce Banda, the newly elected president of Malawi following the death of President Bingu Wa Mutharika, on 5 April, 2012.
Malawi: Online Reaction to Mutharika's Death
Victor Kaonga looks at online reaction following the news of Bingu wa Mutharika's death. Mutharika was Malawi's third president. He died following a cardiac arrest on Thursday morning. This is the first time Malawi will bury a sitting president. *Update: Malawi sworn in Vice President Joyce Banda as its president at the Parliament in Lilongwe on Saturday 7 April, 2012.
Malawi: Meet Malawi's Most Followed Lawyer on Facebook
Facebook has become one of the main platforms for updates and socio-political discussions in Malawi. For example, Malawian lawyer Wapona Kita broke the news of the arrest of Malawi's prominent lawyer and activist Ralph Kasambara in February on his Facebook page. The mainstream media had to follow his Facebook updates to keep their readers, listeners and viewers informed.
2011: The Worst Year in Malawi’s History?
When the year 2011 began, everyone hoped for better amidst fuel, foreign exchange and political challenges. Most Malawians did not expect that the fuel lines will be even longer at the end of the year. This reflected the growing economic challenges in the country affecting Malawians across the country.
Malawi: Citizens “Fuel” Facebook for Gas Updates
Malawians have been queuing up for hours for fuel since last year. The severe shortage of fuel has affected thousands of motorists, passengers and businesses. As one way of updating one another on latest fuel supplies at gas stations, Malawians are using a Facebook group called Malawi Fuel Watch.
Malawi: Political Science Lecturer Talks About Blogging Academic Freedom
When Malawi's Inspector General of Police Peter Mukhito summoned political science senior lecturer Dr Blessings Chinsinga over an example he gave in the lecture room, he had no idea that the incident will appear on Boniface Dulani's blog. Victor Kaonga wanted to hear from Dulani about his blogging experiences especially following the Chinsinga episode which has turned into a movement fighting for academic freedom.
Malawi: The Power of a Blog Post
The two-month old stand-off between the university lecturers in Malawi and their employer has led to the closure of the University of Malawi's main colleges. But no one would have known that things were so bad if one blogger, Boniface Dulani, had not written a post titled "Mutharika's dictatorship hits a new low: Unima's Blessings Chinsinga summoned by Inspector General of Police" on February 12, 2011.
Malawi: Muza Gondwe: Malawian Science Blogger
Meet Muza Gondwe, a female science blogger from Malawi who talks to our author, Victor Kaonga, about her science blog, Afrisciheroes.
MalawiSoc: Tracking Malawian blogs and news
Clement Nthambazale Nyirenda is a final year PhD student in the Hirota/Sakurai Lab in the Department of Computational Intelligence and Systems Science at Tokyo Institute of Technology and a lecturer, researcher and consultant in Electronics and Computer Engineering at the Malawi Polytechnic.He is the founder of MalawiSoc, a social bookmarking site devoted to news and blogs about Malawi.
Global: If there is no water, there is no life
The Twentieth gathering for the World Water Week (WWW) took place in Sweden's Capital Stockholm from the 5th to the 11th of September 2010 with the theme The Water Quality Challenge-Prevention, Wise Use and Abatement. According to the organisers, “urbanisation, agriculture, industry and climate change exert mounting pressure on both the quantity and quality of our water resources.”
Malawi: Bloggers discuss freedom of speech and 2014 election
Malawian bloggers are currently discussing the nomination of Malawian president's brother as the ruling party presidential candidate for 2014 elections and recent arrest of a Presbyterian senior pastor Rev Levi Njombole Nyondo. He is alleged to have uttered seditious words at a funeral service.
Malawi: Missing out on online technology for transparency
While more and more Malawians are flocking online to use Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites, the country has yet to make progress in using these tools for transparency and accountability.
Malawi: Barefoot Solar Engineers Win Best African Electrification Award
Japan-based Malawian blogger Clement Nthambazale writes about a Solar Engineers Project, run by barefoot engineers, which has won Africa’s biggest Rural Electrification Award. The solar project, which has electrified Chimonjo village in the central Malawi district of Salima has brought a new dimension to the rural villagers' lives.
Sub-Saharan Africa: Catching Up with Online Transparency Projects
The rise of multiparty democracy in Africa has led citizens and civil society to demand more transparency and accountability from their governments. New technologies can buoy their efforts, but such initiatives face major obstacles including infrastructure, lack of political will, and a shortage of techinical skills and personnel.
