Government blamed for murder of prisoner in Mzuzu

Jan 22, 2016 Politics 119
Advertisement
Prison

The Malawi government has been blamed for the murder that occurred at Mzuzu prison where an inmate killed another prisoner while fighting for space and food at the facility.

Some prisoners who saw the murder happening, told our reporter on Wednesday that the two could not have reached the extent of fighting if government had answered the prisoners’ cry on the problem of congestion which has been affecting the facility for close to four years now.

They went on to trash prison authorities for combining people on remand and those already serving sentences saying the practice is fuelling shortage of food and congestion at the facility.

Prison“They couldn’t have fought to that extent, just that now a day we are very congested here so they were fighting for space. I remember telling you the media people last year that we are very congested here but until now government is coy to respond to our cry,” said one inmate pleading for anonymity.

Another prisoner echoed the sentiments saying the prison has really turned into hell such that most of prisoners are now prone to several diseases due to the same congestion but authorities are still reluctant to ease the problem despite several calls.

“In fact, we fight every day. I tell you now every day is the survival of the fittest game for one to find good space to sleep. Situations have changed here,” he added.

Information gathered by this paper on the murder that happened at the facility shows that both the victim and the murderer were fighting for space in the prison’s male toilets after all the space had been occupied by their colleagues.

“They were fighting for the remaining space (about an inch) to sleep on. The two were very adamant on that thus the fight proceeded into the death of one prisoner who was overpowered,” said a prisoner who claimed to have witnessed the bout.

Public relations officer for the prison Ausine Mwasangwale confirmed the development to Malawi24 on Wednesday and identified the murderer as 25 year-old Muda Mhango and the victim as 40 year-old Abel Jere.

He added that the murderer was on remand waiting to answer charges of another murder case while the deceased was only serving a sentence on causing unlawful wounding.

“The issue has since been handed over to the police who are expected to investigate the whole issue appropriately,” said Mwasangwale.

When contacted, northern region police publicist Maurice Chapola said he is aware of the incident but said they are still investigating the matter.

Separate findings indicate that Mzuzu prison is now home to about 600 inmates, a number which is against the facility’s recommended capacity of 200 inmates.

Before publishing this article, the minister of home affairs was yet to respond to an email questionnaire we sent him on the issue.

Advertisement

119 Comments

  3. Idont know y we have zilango za zaka zambiri pamene if some body sleep pa shamba fo a wk its like wakhala kale zaka 10 ndichilango kale chowawa mo over ambirii ma cases awo amakhala ozizila y can’t u just find another way of punishing anthu amilandu ingonoingono to avoid conjesion

  6. mmmmm so sad,,,,ma prison akumalawi ee kaya kumande kulibwino koz amakugoneka pa malo otakasuka,,,,,,,,,chonde boma lichitipo kanthu despite aliube ndalama but seein the stituation the gvn sud tek an emegency response,,,,,,,Nanu amalawi mwanyanya kupalamula,,,muziphana choncho

  7. The fact that we are poor nation coz it starts from outside prison where there’s scarcity of employment life z hard & people turning into criminals,survival of the fittest is every where let’s join hands & feel sympathy to each other share the little we have while fights problems together combating challenges one day will be a different story.

  9. Lets Try Community Service. And lets improve in our behaviour cos if we behave well we may reduce the number of those arrested. Our economy too is contributing as many has no good finincuial muscle.

  10. Lets Try Community Service. And lets improve in our behaviour cos if we behave well we may reduce the number of those arrested. Our economy too is contributing as many has no good finincuial muscle.

  14. osamasula bwanji coz naoso ali ndi ufulu okuba muzikomuno ,sizikusiyana ndi amathanyulawo!!!!!! ndipo tikati tionesese ochimwa kwambiliso ndi agalu okwtilana okhaokhao

  16. Kodi kumanga ndende zochuluka kuti asamapanikizike ndi kumanga nyumba zaaphunzitsi choyenera kuyamba nchani?#ndangofunsanao

  21. Lets stop the blame game here, the govt iz wrong and the prisoner who killed the other for food was wrong2. No sane being can kill another for the sake of food. Ofcos, the theory of Charles Darwin which says ‘survival of the fittest’ iz applicable in this world but not in this case of even human teking 1 another’s life.

  22. and I blame Government of Malawi for failing to provide them with enough food and enough place to sleep

  24. Malawi is poor country everything is a disaster at the end,In other countries they have inspectors to check conditions of prisons country wide other departments eg Transport health and industries to avoid government answering regulary

  27. I no well mzuzu prison is two small while therf is huge imates these.lets our goverment conctract more prison 2 avoid lyk that…mkaidi ali ndi ufuru wakudya,ndikugona afunseni a crew ya cash gate zomwe akuziona…ndiye akuru akuru enanu musanatchulidwe zinakakhara bwino,muzizatchulidwa ndende zitakozedwa…mkaidi amayenda paliponse muno mmalawi.pliz ndende ikonzedwe,ndimalakalaka kutenga lindera prison kuzaiyika ku maula ndi mmene akaidi amasangalalira kumeneko chilikwanzako chigwire nyanga gays…

  28. I no well mzuzu prison is two small while therf is huge imates these.lets our goverment conctract more prison 2 avoid lyk that…mkaidi ali ndi ufuru wakudya,ndikugona afunseni a crew ya cash gate zomwe akuziona…ndiye akuru akuru enanu musanatchulidwe zinakakhara bwino,muzizatchulidwa ndende zitakozedwa…mkaidi amayenda paliponse muno mmalawi.pliz ndende ikonzedwe,ndimalakalaka kutenga lindera prison kuzaiyika ku maula ndi mmene akaidi amasangalalira kumeneko chilikwanzako chigwire nyanga gays…

  29. Ma prison a ku Malawi ndi ku manda kale..i mean how can a person sleep on a place about an inch? Are the prisoners thr to starve them to death or to make them change their immoral behaviours so that they can become responsible citizens?..I wonder y the gorvenment is blaming the murder yet its failing to provide good condition services..Does it mean that you guys look like u care only for these people when the worst has happened?? Prisoners are our fellow humans treat them with kind and integrity… Inunso mutha kupita ku ndende Sionse ali kumeneko ndi olakwa!!

  30. Ma prison a ku Malawi ndi ku manda kale..i mean how can a person sleep on a place about an inch? Are the prisoners thr to starve them to death or to make them change their immoral behaviours so that they can become responsible citizens?..I wonder y the gorvenment is blaming the murder yet its failing to provide good condition services..Does it mean that you guys look like u care only for these people when the worst has happened?? Prisoners are our fellow humans treat them with kind and integrity… Inunso mutha kupita ku ndende Sionse ali kumeneko ndi olakwa!!

  43. To be a prisoner doesnt realy mean dat yu’re siner…ena amatha kutheka kuti anamangidwa nkhani zosawakhuza tisamle mayankhulidwe guys..ndende zinamanga kaya ndi asamunda kaya ndi kamuzu zomwe zija den yu saying we must dont blame de goverment..oky?…..shame on yu….

  45. Prison is not a place to murder one another but to transform prisoners from bad to good behaviour so that when they are discharged from prison, they should behave in good manners and rely on themselves in terms of economy . so it is so sad to hear that inmates are murdering each other simply because of limitted place and lack of enough food. government must do something about this problem before they die with hunger.

  46. Ngati chakudya chikusowa zipatala anthu akufa atamwa mankhwala, chifukwa chosowa nsima ndemukanene ku prison, Boma ili wosayelekeza kupalamula kapena kudwala zoti akakungoneke ufa

    4. even driving offence can put u there even faiure to pay loan so dont eqate all as sinners wt some saving cases that are not theirs

    11. No it’ good to ask first because you are far away from my point. You know already kuti wina aliyense is subject to prison life then why do you put blame on the government? Hahaha nosense!

  51. malawi24 would please start posting compatible pic and storys? yes the story can be new but the pic mmmmmmm is an old one and very familliar.

  52. malawi24 would please start posting compatible pic and storys? yes the story can be new but the pic mmmmmmm is an old one and very familliar.

  55. What we people dont know is that prisons are there to transform an inmates so that when he or she has complete their sentence they have to start behaving well but not here in malawi the police and prisons are places to punish and kill people,how could aperson change to be agood citizen when given food once aday?isnt that turning agood person into acriminal?how could asuspect being whiped to death by policemen as they have the proof that he or she is acriminal?we are far behind the truth and sorry to our so called human rights groups who only focus to same marriage campaign than protect people who are facing judgement.

  56. What we people dont know is that prisons are there to transform an inmates so that when he or she has complete their sentence they have to start behaving well but not here in malawi the police and prisons are places to punish and kill people,how could aperson change to be agood citizen when given food once aday?isnt that turning agood person into acriminal?how could asuspect being whiped to death by policemen as they have the proof that he or she is acriminal?we are far behind the truth and sorry to our so called human rights groups who only focus to same marriage campaign than protect people who are facing judgement.

    1. I real agree with you; we are very behind when it comes to the way the prisoners are treated; the inmates are like slaves. Prison is a place for transgormation not torturing but in our country is other way round.

    2. True my brother we are still in slavery time where by we are not able to do things freely in other countries prisoners are able to do things freely unlike here

    3. This is Malawi, if hospitals are in pathetic situations let alone its universities, do you expect prisons to be heavens, never

  57. Kodi mmaona ngati kundende ndi ku nkhondo eti uli kundende pamulandu wakupha omweu uku pangaso zomwezo pamaganizo anga ameneyo aphedweso chifukwa ali ndi ziwanda

  58. Kodi mmaona ngati kundende ndi ku nkhondo eti uli kundende pamulandu wakupha omweu uku pangaso zomwezo pamaganizo anga ameneyo aphedweso chifukwa ali ndi ziwanda

  59. Thats stupidt of them…..bama sizukulikhuza zopusazo,lets talk about ma hospitals & blame gvrnment osati athu oti akabwelaso kuziko amazativutisa akanakhala athu amzeru they would have solved it peacefully

  60. Thats stupidt of them…..bama sizukulikhuza zopusazo,lets talk about ma hospitals & blame gvrnment osati athu oti akabwelaso kuziko amazativutisa akanakhala athu amzeru they would have solved it peacefully

    1. kkkk u r a man, uzaziona. u go to prison pa zinthu za zii, like causing an accident, vagabond, something u didnt expect. so ok, this is life my bro

    3. Onsewo ali mundende ndi zitsiru and dont blame government for whatever. Whether food or space. Akanakhala kuti they are transformed into productive citizen, sangasiye nzawo akufa iwo akuwona. Koma, ngakhale atatuluka. Azakhalabe ma threat to the communities.

    3. Onsewo ali mundende ndi zitsiru and dont blame government for whatever. Whether food or space. Akanakhala kuti they are transformed into productive citizen, sangasiye nzawo akufa iwo akuwona. Koma, ngakhale atatuluka. Azakhalabe ma threat to the communities.

    5. @ Esther, kutereko akaidi enawo akumusilira nzawoyo kuti bola akanapha iwowo. Coz onsewo ali ndi ziwanda & munthu amawona ngati ndi ntchentche.

    7. Zikuonesa kt nowdays amalawi tikusowa umodzi cholinga tiziloza chala boma kunali maprison guards kmanso maprisoners eni wake mpaka anthu kumaphana ena akuona ndie kumati boma lingapange chan moyo wamunthu wapita

Comments are closed.