Fresh questions have emerged over whether President Lazarus Chakwera personally approved the military flight that ended in tragedy for Vice President Saulos Chilima and eight others, with new testimony now putting the authorization process under the spotlight.
Appearing before Parliament’s ad hoc committee investigating the June 10, 2024 Chikangawa aircraft crash, Defence Minister Feston Kaupa said requests involving the Vice President’s travel are not handled in the same way as ordinary government requests, raising fresh interest in how the doomed mission was cleared.
Kaupa said ordinary requests for Malawi Defence Force aircraft follow a formal process where a ministry, department, agency or institution submits a request outlining the purpose of the trip and justification for using military transport.
He said the Malawi Defence Force command structure then manages the request and determines whether the aircraft can be provided.
However, Kaupa told the committee that the process is different when the request comes from the office of the Vice President.
“When it comes to the Vice President, obviously the expectation will be the office of the Vice President writing such kind of memo,” Kaupa said.
He explained that because the Vice President’s office is closely linked to the office of the President, who is Commander-in-Chief of the Malawi Defence Force, it would be reasonable for the President to be aware of the request.
“The assertion that this would require approval of the Commander-in-Chief could be very right,” he said.
Kaupa’s remarks have opened a new line of inquiry for the committee, whether the required VVIP approval process was followed before the aircraft carrying Chilima departed.
The committee is now expected to establish who requested the aircraft, who authorized the flight, what information was provided to approving authorities and whether all procedures were followed before take-off.
The minister, however, did not state whether former President Lazarus Chakwera approved the specific flight or whether he was informed about the mission.
The aircraft crashed in Chikangawa Forest on June 10, 2024, killing Chilima and eight others.
