Former President Mwai Kibaki lauds Malawi new leader Peter Mutharika

Malawi's President Peter Mutharika.

Nairobi, Kenya: Retired President Mwai Kibaki Tuesday sent a congratulatory message to Peter Mutharika for winning the Malawi presidential election.

“Africa has every reason to be hopeful that President Mutharika will invoke his illustrious record as a technocrat, academic, diplomat, jurist, politician and expert in regional matters to make Malawi and the rest if Africa proud,” said Kibaki.

Kbaki expressed his confidence that Mutharika will work with his contemporaries to make the best of Africa’s natural resources.

The court declared Mutharika the winner in the election which incumbent Joyce Banda had contested.

Banda moved to court immediately after the results were announced, claiming the election was compromised. Prior to the court ruling, however, Banda declared that she would accept the court’s verdict.

The election was marred by a number of challenges among them, collapse of the electronic vote counting system that delayed initial announcement of the results.

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Peter Mutharika, who won the election on a Democratic Progressive Party, is brother to former Malawi president Bingu wa Mutharika. He was the close contestant to Banda in the presidential poll.

Joyce Banda made history in April 2012 becoming Malawi's first female president and only the second woman to lead a country in Africa.

She took power following the death of 78-year-old President Bingu wa Mutharika, who had led the country since 2004.