What began as a simple church walk in Balaka took an unexpected turn on Sunday when police stepped in with warning that a common way of travelling could be quietly putting worshippers’ lives at serious risk.
Church members in Balaka have been advised to avoid boarding open motor vehicles during church trips, with police cautioning that the practice exposes passengers to dangerous and often preventable road accidents.
The message was delivered on Sunday morning, June 21, 2026, when Traffic Inspector Everton Thengo of Balaka Police Station met members of Holiness Pentecostal Church who were on a long walk from Chingeni Roadblock to Chingeni Tollgate.
Inspector Thengo told the worshippers that open vehicles offer no protection, meaning passengers are left vulnerable in the event of sudden braking, collisions, or loss of control on the road.
He warned that many road accidents in Malawi are worsened not only by driver behaviour, but also by passengers choosing unsafe travel options without considering the risks involved.
During the interaction, Thengo also sensitized the church members on key road safety practices, including checking road clearance before crossing, reporting drivers who overload vehicles beyond capacity, walking on the right side of the road facing oncoming traffic, and wearing crash helmets when riding as pillion passengers on motorcycles.
He stressed that small safety decisions can determine whether people arrive alive or not, urging the worshippers to become ambassadors of road safety within their communities.
One of the church members, Kandako Fulaye of Holiness Pentecostal Church, welcomed the engagement, saying the message would not end with the walk but would be shared widely with fellow congregants.
He said the advice had opened their eyes to everyday risks many people ignore while travelling, especially during group church movements.
Balaka Police Public Relations Officer Gladson M’bumpha said the engagement is part of ongoing efforts to reduce road accidents through community sensitization.
