Families of people killed in the struggle for independence on March 3 1959 yesterday intensified their push for compensation as the nation commemorated Martyr’s Day with the main event in Nkhata Bay District.
Speaking on behalf of the families, Senior Chief Mkumbira, who is also the bereaved families’ patron, requested the Malawi Government to facilitate compensation to the families from the British Government.
Force officer. | George Bulombola, Mana
He said: “You may recall that government last year gave the bereaved family members K15 million each as a token of appreciation, but that was not compensation per se.
“That was a consolation which the Malawi Government provided but the actual compensation should come from the British Government. We ask the government to help us facilitate this process so that these people are fully compensated.”
Taking his turn, Minister of Transport and Public Works Jappie Mhango, who represented President Peter Mutharika, stuck to his prepared speech and did not comment on the chief’s appeal for compensation. He said there can never be freedom if people cannot afford basic things in life such as food, shelter and clothing.
“There can never be freedom if hospitals do not have drugs for people; there can never be freedom where people do not have access to clean water. Freedom is meaningless if living standards remain the same as they were before independence,” he said.
Throwing a jab at the previous Malawi Congress Party administration, Mhango, who declined to grant media interviews, said when the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) triumphed in the September 16 2025 General Election, it inherited severe economic hardships, including high inflation, acute forex, food and fuel shortages as well as corruption which crippled businesses and daily life.
He said that since taking office in October 2025, the new administration has focused on stabilising the economy through a number of interventions, including repairing electricity generation infrastructure, tackling fuel prices and enforcing fiscal discipline.
Said Mhango: “Key actions include restoration of 31 megawatts of electricity and increasing fuel storage capacity. Government has prioritised increasing power generation from 551megawatts towards a goal of 1000 megawatts by 2030.
“Action was taken to resolve a big fuel crisis by accelerating procurement and there are plans to double national storage capacity to 120 million litres. Government has also introduced measures that are aimed at curbing public expenditure while enhancing revenue.”
For the first time in recent years, the President and his two Vice-Presidents were absent during Martyr’s Day commemorations in Nkhata Bay yesterday.
Dignitaries present included Chief Secretary to the Government Justin Saidi, Minister of Sports, Youth and Culture Alfred Gangata, former vice-president Khumbo Kachali, First Deputy Speaker of Parliament Victor Musowa, Dean of the Diplomatic Corps Nancy Saungweme and Leader of Opposition in Parliament Simplex Chithyola Banda.
Meanwhile, in a statement yesterday, National Advocacy Platform chairperson Benedicto Kondowe said Martyr’s Day is a moral reckoning, compelling every Malawian to ask whether the freedoms secured through sacrifice are being preserved with integrity, courage, and responsibility.
He said the heroes being honoured did not give their lives for symbolic independence, but fought for a Malawi anchored in justice, accountable leadership, human dignity and equal opportunity for all.
The event was held under the theme ‘The martyrs: A great model of patriotism’.
March 3 was set aside by Malawi’s founding president Hastings Kamuzu Banda to honour the souls of 31-plus unarmed protesters gunned down by British forces during an ‘Operation Sunrise’ State of Emergency. A majority of the protesters were killed in Nkhata Bay although some also died in Blantyre, Lilongwe, Bwengu in Mzimba and several other areas.
