She was elected to Parliament in the
2014 general election and served as deputy speaker. On 19 June 2019,
Catherine Gotani Hara was elected the first female Speaker of the
National Assembly, with 97 votes to 93, over Mcheka Chilenje. Only a third of the 2019 assembly were re-elected MPs. This was seen as an achievement, because of a nationwide target to achieve a 50:50 representation for women in parliament. This was achieved in Nsanje District,because there were five constituencies and 60% of them were represented by women. However there was a court -ordered by-election in 2021 where she was defeated. She later complained that she had been swindled by a fraudster. Mcheka Chilenje served as Deputy Ambassador to the
United Nations in 2022. == References ==