Malawi’s new president Lazarus Chakwera says he will announce his long-awaited full cabinet very soon.

Chakwera earlier told Malawians that the full cabinet will be released not later than his inauguration on July 6, 2020.

In his briefing released on Wednesday, Chakwera said the potential cabinet appointees have been subjected to a “battery of scrutiny”.

He admitted that together with vice president Saulos Chilima, they are overwhelmed by the list of potential cabinet appointees.

“Having promised to form a cabinet of no more than 30 members, of which no less than 12 are to be women, the number of qualified people under consideration exceeds the number of cabinet portfolios,” he said.

“For this reason, the task requires considerable thought and prayer on our part and will require understanding and trust on yours.”

Chakwera said the new ministers will be a well-balanced team of high-performing servant leaders who will bring forth the fruits of Tonse Philosophy.

“I thank you for your patience with this rigorous process and beg your pardon for the necessary delay, though I will be announcing the cabinet any day now,” he said.

Chakwera said since taking over government, the Tonse administration has among others, met with the envoys of the Governments of China, United States and Great Britain to begin discussions on bilateral relations and aid.

He also said the new administration has commenced an audit of multiple nation-building projects that have long been frustrated by beaurocracy and corruption, such as the installation of an oxygen plant at Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH).

He said the plant has been stuck in a warehouse since 2016 and led to the needless wastage of 2 million dollars on unsustainable bills under the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration.