By Vincent Gunde
A Concerned Citizen of Malawi Mr. Rahman Katoletole of Lumbadzi in Lilongwe, has found President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera wrong holding Dr. Saulosi Chilima and eight others, Memorial Service in the Chikangawa forest on the 10th June, 2025.
Katoletole said Malawi is known by its culture and the people are culturally competent claiming that the nine departed souls had their respective homes and were buried there not in the Chikangawa forest wondering and questioning President Chakwera that what came into his mind to hold the event in the Chikangawa forest.
He said had it been that the nine departed souls had their bodies turned into ashes not identified, President Chakwera would have been standing at a better position of holding the Memorial Service to honor them in the Chikangawa forest.
Speaking through an audio clip, Katoletole has accused those surrounding President Chakwera for not advising him correctly for him not to be turned into a laughing stock by Malawians and the world for holding a parallel Memorial Service describing it as a national event.
Katoletole said ever since the tragic plane crash on the 10th June, 2024 President Chakwera and none of his ministers have stepped their feet in the Chikangawa forest saying the holding of SKC Memorial Service in the Chikangawa forest has invited questions than answers that why today?
He said already some Malawians have made their conclusions that the levelling of the site where the departed souls were found is part of hiding future investigations leading to the establishment of the truth about their death.
The citizen said truth to be said the Memorial service in the Chikangawa forest was purely an MCP event to honor Dr. Chilima and eight others, and not a national event claiming that the national event was supposed to be the one which was held at Nsipe in Ntcheu where Dr. Chilima was buried.
He has appealed to President Chakwera’s inner circle to advise him in good faith saying some of the mistakes he is doing are avoidable but instead, he is earning castigations and insults for the plans made by other people for President Chakwera to be seen as a failure always.
“If I were President Chakwera, I would invite all the departed souls’ families to the state house for a Godly apology for not being with them in Ntcheu but for President Chakwera, he cannot do this,” said Katoletole.
He has dismissed claims which other people are speaking in various social media platforms that opposition parties turned Chilima Memorial service in Ntcheu into campaign battlefield saying the opposition parties were mourning and one cannot close the mouth of the mourner from crying.
Katoletole has backed all the opposition speeches which were made in Ntcheu that government cannot hold a national Memorial service for the departed souls when itself is failing to provide answers to circumstances which surrounded the death of the nine innocent souls.
He has proposed to government that until an independent commission of inquiry will be established to establish the truth on the tragic death of Dr. Chilima and eight others, the event which was held in the Chikangawa forest on 10th June, 2025 by the MCP, is null and void.
