In tears, UTM Members of Parliament (MPs) and councilors have called on the State President, Lazarus Chakwera to remove minister of homeland security Ken Zikhale Ng’oma and minister of defense Harry Mkandawire from the team organizing the funeral of late Vice President, Saulos Chilima.
Speaking during the press briefing today in Lilongwe, UTM regional governor for South, Steve Mikaya said the party has lost trust in the two, Ng’oma and Mkandawire.
“The plane crashed around 10:00am, a plane carrying the State Vice President, the ministers of defense and Homeland security had to be on top of their duty. The President himself can’t be everywhere, that’s why he has ministers in each Sector.
“From our point of view as [UTM] MPs and Councillors, what happened on the day, brings a lot of questions that need answers.
“Maybe had we intensified the searching process on that day, we would have been talking a different story. With our tears trickling down our cheeks, we would like to ask the President to remove these two ministers from the team organizing the funeral of our President.
“We are MPs and Councillors who were voted by people and they are the same people who are giving us pressure to say that the minister of Homeland security and minister of defense should not be in the funeral organizing team. We have lost trust in these two ministers,” he said.
UTM has joined the Human Rights Defenders Coalition HRDC) in calling for an immediate and thorough investigation into the Malawi Defense Force (MDF) accident that killed Chilima and eight others.
Chilima and eight others died on impact near Chikangawa in Mzimba after a plane they were on board failed to make its scheduled landing at Mzuzu International Airport at 10:02 on Monday, and on its return to Lilongwe, crashed in the thick forest.
UTM feels that there was less effort which was applied during the search process leading to the demise of the Vice President and eight others.
“When we went to join the search team, we found only one vehicle and about 10 to 12 Soldiers, this was shocking,” said Honourable Kanyasho, MP.
“We asked, the whole of this Chikangawa Forest, and only three soldiers can they manage to find the missing plane? We were not given answers and the Soldiers said they were just following orders. We feel like the searching was not good enough.”
On Tuesday, HRDC released a statement saying, “HRDC mourns the tragic loss of Vice President Dr. Saulos Klaus Chilima, a dedicated public servant who devoted his life to the people of Malawi. Dr. Chilima was instrumental in advancing the rights of marginalized communities and promoting democratic values in our nation.
“This is indeed a profound loss for Malawi, and we call for an immediate and thorough investigation into this tragic event to understand the cause. Today is a dark and sorrowful day for Malawi. We pray that the souls of our fellow countrymen and women rest in eternal peace.”
