Malawi: Chimwendo's Delegation and Ngutwa's Testimony Raise Fresh Questions in Crash Probe

1 July 2026
Nyasa Times (Leeds)

Malawi's Ad Hoc Committee probing the June 2024 military plane crash has received testimony that sharpens scrutiny of the decisions surrounding vice-president Saulos Chili

ma's final movements.

Samson Ngutwa -- former clerk to the cabinet and now Principal Secretary for Monitoring and Evaluation -- told MPs that Chilima's attendance at the funeral of former attorney general Ralph Kasambara was conditional on securing a Malawi Defence Force (MDF) aircraft.

Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn

The claim introduces a specific logistical trigger that investigators have not yet fully explained.

Ngutwa detailed the government's earlier approvals: condolence funds, a casket for Kasambara's widow, and the designation of Cabinet minister Richard Chimwendo Banda to represent then-president Lazarus Chakwera.

He also confirmed that officials debated whether Kasambara's criminal conviction disqualified him from military honours, ultimately ruling out any ceremonial privileges.

What stands out in Ngutwa's testimony is the sequence. Funeral arrangements were settled; military honours were denied; representation was assigned.

Only later, he said, did he learn that Chilima's attendance depended on the availability of an MDF aircraft -- a condition that appears to have emerged outside the formal planning process.

For investigators, the unresolved question is whether this requirement was routine, improvised, or indicative of a broader pattern in how the vice-president's travel was managed in the hours before the fatal flight.

Read the original article on Nyasa Times.

Tagged:
Copyright © 2026 Nyasa Times. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.

AllAfrica publishes around 600 reports a day from more than 90 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.

Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us.