Ras Chikomeni Chirwa


Ras Chikomeni Chirwa is a Malawian politician, musician and farmer. He is best known for his populist political movement in which he wanted to run as an independent.

Early life

He was born to Overton Chirwa an agricultural officer from Mzimba and Nines Kayengi, a school teacher from Chitipa.

Candidate

On February 6, 2019, his papers had not yet been accepted by the Malawian Election Committee due to insufficient fees and insufficient signatures. On the same day, his supporters started raising money for him on social media to finance his presidential run. However, human rights activist organization CHREAA took his case to court to challenge the signature and fee requirements for those with low -income. Chirwa contends that separate rules are needed for candidates running as independents. He is the first Rastafarian presidential hopeful in Malawi.

Issues

He runs on a platform that is pro-poor. He wants to bring awareness to the discriminatory treatment of the poor, including the Rastafarian community. He is interested in environmental issues such as deforestation and global warming. He is interested in promoting legalization of marijuana.