Chiwaya commits suicide in Clerk of Parliament office

Former deputy speaker of Parliament Clement Chiwaya has shot himself this morning in the office of Clerk of Parliament at Parliament Building in Lilongwe.

Chiwaya shot himself in the head right in front of COP Fiona Kalemba. He died on the spot.

Parliament Spokesperson, Ian Mwenye, said police were called to the scene and they were investigating the matter.

Chiwaya, who is also a former Member of Parliament for Mangochi Central, served as Deputy Speaker between 2014 and 2019.

Over the past months, he had been pushing Parliament to release his benefits including a vehicle which he was using as Deputy Speaker and was modified to his physical disability.

In February this year, he complained to the Ombudsman that the vehicle was still in government’s name yet ownership was supposed to be changed.

The office of the Ombudsman ordered Parliament to identify another vehicle for Chiwaya and modify it. This was supposed to be done by end of June this year.

A statement attributed to Chiwaya has been circulating on social media and it shows that Chiwaya went to Parliament today to over the issue of his benefits.

In the statement, Chiwaya said it was depressing for him to be begging people for something that belongs to him.

“My heart and spirit has been brought down not because of the possession such as a vehicle but the persistent begging that I am doing to get what belongs to me. Is this life worth living. Probably yes to others. For me the fact that I have taken the issue to various people and I am forced to be begging them to do something is really depressing. I don’t have any more energy to carry on. Many of you will not forgive me but I am down. I have reached the end of my tether.

“If I continue living I will hurt others and I don’t want that to happen I am already suffering from my post polio syndrome which is getting worse everyday. Compounded by this these people think I am asking for charity and yet this is a vehicle I bought with my own money,” reads the statement in part.

He added he could have “killed these people” with a loaded gun but chose to go alone.