Gondwe was born in Rumphi District. Her parents were Rodger Muleza Chikontha Chirambo and Florence Khanyiwe Ngwira-Chirambo. She lived in Malawi until she was six. Following a health scare her father returned from Zambia to pick her up from Chiguliro Village.[1] She completed all of her early education in Zambia.
Gondwe was appointed to a position in the Malawi Congress Party by Hastings Banda.[2] Gondwe became the Member of Parliament for Rumphi and she became the cabinet minister for Women, Children Affairs and Community Development.[3]
In August 2012 she joined the new People's Party that was led by Joyce Banda.[3]
In her later years she took to writing. When she was 78 she wrote How to Raise a Spiritual Child and two years later she completed The Life Story of Queen Caroline Gondwe.[1] In the same year Gertrude Chirambo invited her to talk to the united local government group Refela.[4]