A state witness has told a court in Lilongwe that former United Democratic Front (UDF) spokesperson Ken Ndanga gave cash and cellphones to the gang that torched a UTM office and killed three members of the same family in 2020 at Area 24 in Lilongwe.
The witness has testified in a case in which Ndanga and other suspects are accused of torching a UTM Party building and killing three members of the Tambala family weeks before the 2020 presidential elections.
According to the witness Hamilton Bester, Ndanga facilitated logistics for the crime as he provided transport and accommodation as well as money and phones to the gang called Kattar.
The gang had twenty members, including seven who are on trial. The others are reportedly on the run.
Bester said preparations for the arson took place at Area 28 at Kaphiri, until the wee hours of day of the arson, 5 May, 2020.
He added that people who became afraid of carrying out the criminal activity were intimidated. According to Bester, he did not take part because he was told to go home.
At Area 24, the Tambala family used to reside in a building which is an office for UTM, the party which Vice President Saulos Chilima leads.
Previously, the building used to be a UDF office but it was painted with UTM colours after a politician dumped UDF for UTM.
In the early hours of 5 May, 2020, the building was petrol-bombed and members of the Tambala family suffered burns. They were taken to Kamuzu Central Hospital where Seleman Tambala, his wife Ayiles Tambala and 11-year-old son Shukran died.
At the time the crime was committed, Ndanga was spokesperson of the UDF but was fired after he was arrested over the crime.
UDF spokesperson Ndanga arrested over attack on Tambala family
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