13 Facts About Saulos Chilima

Saulos Klaus Chilima was a Malawian economist and politician who served as Vice President of Malawi from 2014 to 2019 and again from 2020 until his death in 2024.

Saulos Chilima served as the Minister of Economic Planning and Development, as well as Head of Public Sector Reforms, a position he previously held under the administration of former president Peter Mutharika.

Saulos Chilima spent most of his early life in Blantyre where his parents were working and spent his summer holidays with his paternal and maternal grandparents in Lilongwe and Ntcheu, respectively.

Saulos Chilima did his primary school at HHI and Dharap primary schools, and his secondary education at the Marist Brothers Mtendere Secondary School Thiwi in the Dedza District.

Saulos Chilima went on to the University of Malawi, Chancellor College, where he graduated with a degree in social sciences in 1994.

In February 2014, Saulos Chilima was the running mate of Democratic Progressive Party presidential candidate Peter Mutharika for the May 2014 presidential election.

Saulos Chilima later left the DPP and launched his own party, the United Transformation Movement, on 21 July 2018 to contest the May 2019 elections.

In that year, Saulos Chilima contested the race as Lazarus Chakwera's running mate for the Malawi Congress Party, in the Tonse alliance which brought up to nine opposition political parties with hopes to topple the administration of Peter Mutharika.

On 22 June 2022, Saulos Chilima was stripped of his delegated powers as a vice president due to his involvement in a US$150 million corruption scandal involving alleged influence in the awarding of government contracts.

Previously, Saulos Chilima served as minister for disaster relief and public events.

Saulos Chilima was a member of the Leadership Council of Compact 2025, a partnership that develops and disseminates evidence-based advice to politicians and other decision-makers aimed at ending hunger and undernutrition by 2025, and wrote on the topic of malnutrition.

Saulos Chilima spoke on sustainable and inclusive development and at international conferences on ending hunger.

Saulos Chilima voiced his advocacy of environmentalism and of physical fitness and sports participation, a stern critic of corruption in politics, and an active supporter of Archdiocesan seminaries.