President Peter Mutharika has ordered a fresh inquiry into the military plane crash that killed former vice-president Saulos Chilima and eight others in a bid to fill purported gaps in previous investigations.
Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Charles Mhango, who the President tasked to study two previous reports on the June 10 2024 military plane crash in Viphya Plantation in Mzimba, on Tuesday told Parliament that the past investigations were riddled with gaps and failed to bring closure.
He said: “In view of the totality of these factors, the investigations failed to provide final closure to the aircraft accident of June 10 2024.
“I, therefore, recommended to His Excellency the President that it was necessary to carry out a fresh inquiry.”
Mhango said Mutharika, who returned to State House following his triumph in the September 16 2025 General Election, has since directed that the probe be conducted through a parliamentary committee and bolstered by international aviation accident experts.
Why fresh probe?
The minister said the initial report by German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation (BFU) was inconclusive on the cause of the crash.
He also questioned the integrity of the Commission of Inquiry instituted by immediate past president Lazarus Chakwera, citing the resignation of two commissioners and refusal by some potential witnesses to testify.
Mhango further described it as “surprising” the fact that the BFU’s final report partly relied on findings of that commission.
The June 2025 BFU report attributed the crash to the crew’s failure to control the flight in adverse weather, citing low-altitude flying in marginal conditions, poor situational awareness and inadequate pre-flight preparation.
Earlier, an interim report revealed the aircraft had no cockpit voice recorder (CVR) or flight data recorder (FDR) and that its emergency locator transmitter battery had expired in 2004.
The Chakwera- appointed commission, chaired by High Court of Malawi Judge Jabbar Alide, ruled out foul play, but cited adverse weather and human error as the cause of the accident.
The inquiry also found that the crew’s certifications were not up to date and that they flew without obtaining a weather briefing. It further said search and rescue operations were at one point suspended.
However, despite the findings, questions have persisted among family members and sections of the public.
Chilima’s widow welcomes move
Shortly after the minister announced the President’s nod in Parliament, Chilima’s widow Mary Nkhamanyachi Chilima, who has repeatedly said the family still has unanswered questions, posted on Facebook a message of gratitude toMutharika.
“Zikomo kwambiri, kwabasi [Thank you very much], Your Excellency Professor Peter Mutharika. God bless you both, always,” she wrote, tagging the President and posting a photograph of him with First Lady Gertrude Mutharika.
Mutharika introduced Chilima, then a corporate executive who served as Airtel Malawi plc managing director, to frontline politics by picking him as his running mate in the 2014 Tripartite Election and eventually becoming his Vice- President.
However, the duo split during their term in 2018 and Chilima formed UTM Party, which later teamed up with Chakwera’s Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and seven other parties under the Tonse Alliance banner to oust Mutharika in 2020.
Parliament or commission?
Mhango’s assertion that the President has decided to route the inquiry through Parliament triggered sharp debate in the National Assembly on Tuesday.
Mwanza Central member of Parliament (MP) Felix Njawala (UTM Party and Chilima’s close aide said his party felt vindicated.
“We have always said the previous inquiries left gaps,” he said, but questioned how criminal elements would be handled since Parliament may lack investigative teeth.
In his contribution, MCP chief whip Moses Kunkuyu called for a fully-fledged commission of inquiry under the Commissions of Inquiry Act to guarantee independence and public trust.
“To leave this to a House of politicians may not deliver the justice Malawians want,” he said, urging adequate funding and a team of independent experts.
Weighing in, Lilongwe Mpenu MP Eisenhower Mkaka (MCP) also argued that the Executive should institute a commission of inquiry rather than task Parliament, warning that the gravity of the matter risked being diluted.
But Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Ben Phiri and First Deputy Speaker Victor Musowa backed parliamentary committees, saying they have constitutional authority and capacity to handle serious investigations.
Responding to fears of politicisation, Mhango insisted that Parliament, as a body representing all Malawians, is the most neutral forum.
“The moment the Executive institutes another commission, it will be viewed as political,” he said, adding that any criminal aspects would be handled by law enforcement agencies.
Chilima and eight others died on June 10 2024 when a Mzuzu-bound Malawi Defence Force aircraft crashed in Viphya Plantation. He was going to Nkhata Bay to attend the funeral of former minister of Justice and Attorney General Ralph Kasambara.
The handling of the tragedy cast a long political shadow and during the 2025 election campa ign, Muthar ika’s Democratic Progressive Party pledged fresh investigations if voted into office.
Additional reporting by JOSEPH MWALE, Staff Writer
