Vincent Gunde 
By Vincent Gunde, MFN Reporter
September 28, 2026, TIME 8:PM CAT
Social commentator Stanley Onjezani Kenani has raised questions over the identification and handling of the remains of victims of the June 10, 2024 Chikangawa plane crash, saying recent testimony before Parliament has created fresh concerns that require clear answers.
Kenani’s concerns come as the Parliamentary Ad Hoc Committee investigating the crash continues to hear evidence about mobile-phone records, the recovery of the bodies and events surrounding the search for the Malawi Defence Force aircraft.
The crash claimed the lives of former Vice-President Dr Saulos Klaus Chilima, former First Lady Patricia Shanil Dzimbiri and seven others. The aircraft came down at Nthungwa in the Chikangawa area on June 10, 2024.
Questions over mobile-phone records
Kenani has questioned evidence concerning mobile phones associated with some of the passengers.
Recent testimony from TNM Chief Technical Officer Lloyd Gowera established that a phone associated with Major Wales Aidini last connected to the network at the Mzimba Turn-Off, while another passenger’s phone was recorded at the Nthungwa tower. The Mzimba Turn-Off is approximately 41.8 kilometres from Nthungwa.
Gowera also told the committee that TNM was initially not given the phone numbers of all passengers and had to use customer-registration records to identify numbers associated with people on the passenger manifest.
Kenani has questioned why, according to testimony before the committee, authorities initially provided TNM with a number registered to former Cabinet minister Nancy Tembo rather than a number associated with Chilima.
He argues that the discrepancies surrounding the telephone evidence deserve a full explanation from the relevant authorities.
Families’ concerns
Kenani has also pointed to testimony concerning the condition of phones returned to some families, including claims that certain devices were badly damaged.
His concerns come amid wider testimony before the committee. Witness Ephraim Duma, for example, told the committee that he allegedly saw several men at the crash site and claimed that one of his companions was shot. Those claims remain allegations made before the inquiry and have not, by themselves, established what happened at the crash site.
Questions have also been raised publicly about whether all recovered remains were correctly identified. Any such claim requires forensic evidence and confirmation from the authorities rather than assumptions based solely on witness accounts.
The parliamentary committee has included forensic and autopsy-related work within its investigation programme, alongside a broader forensic audit and evidence-gathering process.
Kenani calls for answers
Kenani says the emerging evidence should not simply be dismissed and has called for the authorities to explain the discrepancies surrounding the telephone records, damaged phones and identification of the victims.
Some members of the public have gone further, alleging that the crash may have involved foul play and calling for exhumations. Such allegations remain unproven and would require forensic examination and credible evidence before any conclusion can be reached.
Comparisons with the Mwanza Four
The controversy has also revived memories of the 1983 deaths of Dick Matenje, Aaron Gadama, Twaibu Sangala and David Chiwanga.
A Commission of Inquiry into the 1983 Mwanza incident was established in 1994 and reported in January 1995. Historical records describe the inquiry as investigating the deaths of the four men and the circumstances surrounding what had initially been presented as an accident.
Kenani and other commentators are now drawing comparisons between that historical episode and the questions surrounding the 2024 Chikangawa tragedy.
However, whether the two incidents are connected in any factual sense remains a matter for evidence and investigation.
The Parliamentary Ad Hoc Committee is expected to examine the available forensic, telecommunications, aviation and witness evidence before reaching its own findings.
**MFN will continue following the parliamentary investigation as witnesses and institutions provide further evidence.**
