Hon. Eisenhower Mkaka, Member of Parliament for Lilongwe Mpenu, spoke with clarity and courage when he rose in Parliament to demand a second public inquiry into the death of Vice President Saulos Klaus Chilima. His argument was simple, reasonable, and patriotic: the nation deserves full closure. Suspicion still lingers in some quarters, including claims—however misguided—that the MCP had a hand in the tragedy. Mkaka’s point was not to inflame, but to settle the matter decisively.
The first inquiry was instituted by the Chakwera administration. Today, that government is gone. A new administration is in power. If the current DPP-led government truly believes in transparency, then the path is obvious: institute a fresh, independent commission of inquiry and let it speak with final authority.
Instead, what do we see? Hesitation. Timidity. Confusion. We hear talk—not action—about “visiting the crash site.” To do what, exactly? What new truth will be discovered by a ceremonial trip months later? This is not leadership; it is noise. The government now has the power. It does not need to mumble. It needs to decide.
The truth is uncomfortable, and that is why it is being avoided. Any honest inquiry—whether old or new—will likely reach the same conclusion: this was a tragic accident, born of systemic failure, not political assassination. And admitting that means admitting our collective negligence.
Let us be brutally honest with ourselves as a nation. This tragedy was waiting to happen. The Vice President was flying in an old, overused aircraft—equipment that should have been retired long ago. That same aircraft had been used repeatedly by top leaders. Fate chose Chilima that day; it could just as easily have been President Chakwera. This is not politics. This is reality.
What is truly shameful is not conspiracy theories—it is our chronic underinvestment in national safety. We have no operational military helicopters across our barracks. When cyclones strike, we do not respond with our own capacity; we send SOS messages to Tanzania and Zambia. A sovereign nation reduced to begging for basic rescue equipment. That is the scandal.
To suggest that MCP orchestrated some sophisticated plot is to insult logic itself. Which part of our state machinery reflects such capacity? This witch-hunt helps no one. It only distracts us from the real enemy: incompetence, neglect, and indifference.
Let us say the hard truth plainly. Saulos Klaus Chilima was not killed by a party. He was failed by a system. We failed him.
There is a reason Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika prefers the road when traveling between Blantyre, Lilongwe, and Mzuzu. He understands risk. He understands reality. We should, too.
If the government believes this argument is wrong, there is a simple remedy: institute the commission of inquiry—now. Stop the delays. Stop the vague statements. Let the truth come out, even if it confirms what we already know.
And when it does, let us finally learn. Let us invest in our military, our rescue capacity, and our national safety. Not for leaders alone, but for every Malawian.
Mkaka did his duty. The nation heard him.
Now the government must do theirs.
