What was meant to be a solemn honour for founding president Hastings Kamuzu Banda degenerated into chaos yesterday after police dispersed Malawi Congress Party (MCP) supporters and officials marching towards Kamuzu Mausoleum.
Police mounted roadblocks near Lilongwe City Council Civic Offices and the Bingu International Convention Centre (Bicc) junction, blocking MCP supporters from reaching the mausoleum where party president Lazarus Chakwera, who was part of the procession, was due to lay a wreath.
As the crowd, surging from the nearby party headquarters, attempted to advance, officers fired tear gas, forcing supporters to scatter into nearby streets and abruptly halting the procession.
The MCP march came moments after Chakwera concluded the party’s separate commemoration.
The event was organised after the party felt sidelined from the State function where Chakwera was not invited purportedly due to protocol complications.
MCP secretary general Richard Chimwendo Banda described the incident as unfortunate for Malawi’s democracy.
“It is unfortunate for Malawi’s democracy, especially coming on a day when the nation was supposed to celebrate and honour its first president, who was a peace-loving person,” he said.
Chimwendo Banda said it was surprising that the incident occurred despite the party following all necessary procedures, including obtaining approval from the Department of Museums for Chakwera to lay a wreath.
He said the party could not speak for the police and would wait for an official explanation on what prompted the action against the procession.
Police Inspector General Richard Luhanga referred The Nation to National Police spokesperson Lael Chimtembo, whose phone went unanswered.
But Minister of Information and Communications Technology Shadric Namalomba, who is also government spokesperson, defended the police action.
He said: “When you deliberately choose not to follow the law; when you still believe you have the power to break it, just as you did in the past, then what you get is exactly what you deserve.The actions of the police are fully merited.
“The MCP’s assembly and march to the mausoleum were unlawful and criminal. They never sought clearance from either the police or Lilongwe City Council. No clearance means no legality. No legality means no sympathy. Let this be a lesson: the era of impunity is over.”
The incident followed a broader split in commemorations after the MCP boycotted the government ceremony held earlier in the day at Kamuzu Mausoleum.
At the State function, government led proceedings under the theme ‘Kamuzu, the benchmark of servant leadership, uniting Malawians and prospering together’.
Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Alfred Gangata presided on behalf of President Peter Mutharika.
He led wreath-laying at the mausoleum in a ceremony attended by senior officials including First Deputy Speaker of Parliament Victor Musowa, members of the Kamuzu family led by Jane Dzanjalimodzi, traditional leaders and security chiefs. Paramount Chiefs Gomani V, Kyungu and Lundu, and members of the diplomatic corps were also in attendance.
Meanwhile, political analysts and civil society figures warned that the split commemorations reflected a deepening pattern of contested national remembrance.
In an interview after the government event, Centre for Multiparty Democracy chairperson Ben Chakhame said the trend risks undermining national unity.
“We are seeing emerging patterns where political stakeholders are holding parallel events. This is not healthy for unity,” he said.
Chakhame added that similar divisions were witnessed during commemorations for late vice-president Saulos Chilima and cautioned against repeating the pattern during future national memorials.
For his part, African Institute for Development Policy executive director Eliya Zulu described Kamuzu Banda as a transformative leader whose legacy continues to shape national development discourse, while noting that comparisons between eras remain politically sensitive.
The parallel events reflected the blurred lines between state remembrance and partisan commemoration.
The MCP event featured Chakwera alongside senior officials, including Chimwendo Banda, director of legal affairs George Kadzipatike, campaign director Moses Kunkuyu and director of women Jean Sendeza.
The commemorations centred on Kamuzu Banda’s political legacy.
Speakers at the MCP-led event, including Kent Mphepo and Kingsley Msulamoyo, highlighted Banda’s nationalist journey and development record, citing milestones such as the relocation of the capital to Lilongwe and major infrastructure projects.
Kamuzu Banda ruled Malawi for three decades before losing the country’s first multiparty elections in 1994. He died on November 25 1997. His legacy is commemorated on May 14, a public holiday named after him.
