Ken Lipenga
Encyclopedia
Dr. Ken Lipenga was born on February 14th, 1952 at in Chiringa, Phalombe. He is a Malawian politician, journalist, and writer. He is the current Minister of Tourism and Parliamentarian for Phalombe East.. He is the current Minister of Finance in Malawi.
in Canada and graduated in 1984. He returned home to continue with his teaching work at Chancellor College. Lipenga is a very keen angler
, photographer and mountain climber. He spends spare time doing research on the Lomwe language.
Lipenga is married to Stella.
at Chancellor College as an Assistant Lecturer in English. He left to complete his PhD in Canada and returned home to teach at Chancellor College. In 1986 he returned to Blantyre Printing and Publishing Company as General Manager and Editor-in-Chief of Blantyre Newspapers Ltd. In 1992 Lipenga was dismissed from his job following a series of provocative articles under his column, Off the Cuff. The article, "Of Gallileo as Dissident," metaphorically criticized one-party rule under the Kamuzu Banda regime and sided with those calling for multi-party rule. Lipenga moved to Nkolokosa and worked as a Reuters
and Radio Netherlands
correspondent.
After meeting Aleke Banda
, who had just been released from political detention, he joined a group that sympathized with the UDF.
When Banda and family decided to establish a newspaper in 1993, "the Nation", Lipenga became the founding Editor-In-Chief. He resigned from the Nation in 1995 upon being appointed Special Assistant to the then President, Bakili Muluzi
.
due to economic policies under the Bingu wa Mutharika
Administration.
Personal Life
Lipenga attended Nazombe Primary School and then went to Mulanje Day Secondary School. Lipenga entered the University of Malawi, enrolling at Soche Hill College in 1972 and graduated with a B.Ed (Distinction) in 1976. He majored in English and History as well as Education. Lipenga won a Graduate Assistantship to study for Ph.D in English Literature at the University of New BrunswickUniversity of New Brunswick
The University of New Brunswick is a Canadian university located in the province of New Brunswick. UNB is the oldest English language university in Canada and among the first public universities in North America. The university has two main campuses: the original campus founded in 1785 in...
in Canada and graduated in 1984. He returned home to continue with his teaching work at Chancellor College. Lipenga is a very keen angler
Angler
Angler may refer to:* A fisherman who uses the fishing technique of angling*Angler * The angler, Lophius piscatorius, a monkfish* More generally, any anglerfish in the order Lophiiformes* Angler , a Marvel Comics supervillain...
, photographer and mountain climber. He spends spare time doing research on the Lomwe language.
Lipenga is married to Stella.
Early Career
After working as a management trainee at the Blantyre Printing and Publishing Company, Lipenga joined the faculty of the University of MalawiUniversity of Malawi
The University of Malawi is an educational institution established in 1964 and composed of five constituent colleges located in Zomba, Blantyre, and Lilongwe. Of the five colleges, the largest is Chancellor College in Zomba. The name of the school is abbreviated to UNIMA. It is part of the...
at Chancellor College as an Assistant Lecturer in English. He left to complete his PhD in Canada and returned home to teach at Chancellor College. In 1986 he returned to Blantyre Printing and Publishing Company as General Manager and Editor-in-Chief of Blantyre Newspapers Ltd. In 1992 Lipenga was dismissed from his job following a series of provocative articles under his column, Off the Cuff. The article, "Of Gallileo as Dissident," metaphorically criticized one-party rule under the Kamuzu Banda regime and sided with those calling for multi-party rule. Lipenga moved to Nkolokosa and worked as a Reuters
Reuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
and Radio Netherlands
Radio Netherlands
Radio Netherlands Worldwide is a public radio and television network based in Hilversum, producing and transmitting programmes for international audiences outside the Netherlands...
correspondent.
After meeting Aleke Banda
Aleke Banda
Aleke Kadonaphani Banda was a Malawian politician who served as a Member of Parliament, former Minister of Finance and Agriculture in Malawi. He was also co-founder of 'the Nation Publications Limited.'...
, who had just been released from political detention, he joined a group that sympathized with the UDF.
When Banda and family decided to establish a newspaper in 1993, "the Nation", Lipenga became the founding Editor-In-Chief. He resigned from the Nation in 1995 upon being appointed Special Assistant to the then President, Bakili Muluzi
Bakili Muluzi
Elson Bakili Muluzi is a Malawian politician. He was the President of Malawi from 1994 to 2004 and was Chairman of the United Democratic Front until 2009.-Presidency:...
.
Political Career
Lipenga became MP for Phalombe East in 1997. From 2005-2006 Minister of Labour & Vocational Training. . Then From 2006 - 2008 he was the Deputy Minister of Finance. Since 2008 he has been serving the current Minister of Economic Planning and Development in the DPP ruled cabinet.. He was then Minister of Tourism, Wildlife and Culture until 2011, when he was appointed as Minister of Finance. This was a controversial and challenging position since Malawi was undergoing political discontent that led to the July 20th, 2011 Malawian protests2011 Malawian protests
The 2011 Malawi protests were protests aimed at winning political and economic reforms or concessions from the government of Malawi. On 20 July, Malawian organisations protested against perceived poor economic management and poor governance by President Bingu wa Mutharika and his Democratic...
due to economic policies under the Bingu wa Mutharika
Bingu wa Mutharika
Bingu wa Mutharika is a Malawi economist who is President of Malawi. He took office on 24 May 2004 after winning a disputed presidential election...
Administration.
Works Published
- Waiting for a Turn - Paperback (Anthology)- 1981
- Of "been-tos" and messiahs: Millenialism in Armah's fiction (essay)- 1986