Fresh testimony before Parliament’s inquiry into the Chikangawa plane crash has placed former president Lazarus Chakwera at the centre of the decision that allowed Vice President Saulos Chilima to board the military aircraft that later crashed, killing nine people.
Defence Minister Feston Kaupa on Monday told Parliament’s ad hoc committee investigating the June 10, 2024 Chikangawa plane crash that he had not seen any documentation authorising Chilima’s use of the Malawi Defence Force (MDF) Dornier 228 aircraft.
Kaupa explained that requests for MDF aircraft normally follow a formal process in which ministries, departments and agencies submit written requests detailing the purpose of the trip and justification for military transport.
However, he said the process changes when the request involves the Vice President.
According to Kaupa, the Office of the Vice President is closely linked to the Office of the President, making it reasonable to expect that the Commander-in-Chief would be aware of such requests.
“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. “The assertion that this would require approval of the Commander-in-Chief could be very right.”
Moments later, former Defence Minister Harry Mkandawire appeared before the same committee and directly linked Chakwera to the approval of the doomed mission.
Mkandawire told lawmakers that former MDF Commander General Paul Valentino Phiri informed him that clearance for Chilima to use the aircraft had come from Chakwera.
Responding to a question from Mwanza Central MP Felix Njawala, Mkandawire said:
“I got information from the Commander that he had gotten clearance from the Commander-In-Chief [the President] to allow Chilima to use the Dornier.”
The former minister, however, admitted that he never personally verified the authorisation with Chakwera.
He said the former president only informed him to keep the aircraft available for Chilima, who was expected to travel to the funeral of former Attorney General and Justice Minister Ralph Kasambara if he felt fit enough after returning from South Korea.
The testimony appears to contradict findings of the presidential commission of inquiry, which suggested that the Office of the Vice President obtained the aircraft through an irregular process.
Mkandawire also defended the condition of the Dornier, saying it was considered fully operational before the crash.
He said concerns only surfaced after investigators discovered that the aircraft’s Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) battery was not functioning.
The faulty battery was among issues highlighted in the technical report prepared by German investigators.
