Malawi Government controller of procurement and supply services Chikumbutso Mtumodzi died after a short illness in Lilongwe yesterday and will be laid to rest in his home village in Dowa District tomorrow.
Minister of Information and Digitisation Moses Kunkuyu confirmed the death of the former journalist in an interview yesterday.
He described Mtumodzi as a dedicated public servant.
“I can confirm that sadly we have lost Mr Chikumbutso Mtumodzi, who until his death was controller of procurement and supply services,” said Kunkuyu.
In a separate interview last evening, Mtumodzi’s niece Leria said he will be laid to rest at Mtumodzi Village in Chakhungu, near Mvera in Dowa.
A tentative programme indicated that Mtumodzi’s body will be collected from Mthunzi Funeral Home in Lilongwe today to his residence in Area 10 before departing for Chankhungu.
Mtumodzi previously served as a journalist before co-founding the now defunct New Dawn for Africa (NDA) political party with his colleagues Thom Chiumia and Ken Ndanga in 2003 where he served as secretary general.
The party was apparently working with the then governing United Democratic Front (UDF) and was widely seen as a counter to National Democratic Alliance with similar abbreviation and led by former UDF heavyweight Brown Mpinganjira.
In 2009, former president Bingu wa Mutharika appointed Mtumodzi as his press secretary, a post he held until 2011 when he became director of information (DOI), a position he also served under former president Joyce Banda to 2016 and from October 2022 in the Malawi Congress Party administration of President Lazarus Chakwera before he was subsequently moved last year.
Prior to 2013, has served as Deputy Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Disabilities.
