Family seeks justice for relative’s death

 The family of Watson Kachere, a Mota-Engil Malawi guard, is seeking justice for his death.

Kachere was allegedly murdered in the line of duty at his workstation in August last year.

Five months since the incident, his family wants answers and action from the police and Mota-Engil management as they claim not to know what exactly transpired or who is responsible.

Kachere was guarding the company’s water pump at Mchesi Bridge along Mzimba Street in Lilongwe at when alleged thieves assaulted him to death.

In an interview at her house in Area 23 in Lilongwe, his widow Elida said it was heartbreaking to imagine someone killed her husband in cold blood and is free out there.

“He left home at about 2 pm as he was on the night shift. We received a call around 8 pm that he was murdered and his body was taken to Kamuzu Central Hospital.

“Certainly, the whole incident raises questions and we need answers. We want to know who did this and what was their motive. My husband was a good man, he couldn’t even hurt a fly,” said the mother of three.

Elida lamented that the family is also drowning in abject poverty as the deceased was the sole breadwinner and Mota-Engil has not yet processed his death gratuity.

“Life is unbearable. I can hardly feed the children or meet their daily needs. I wish Mota-Engil gave us something to start-up a business and fend for my family,” she said.

The deceased’s brother Gabriel collaborated with his in-law saying despite recording a statement at Area 3 Police immediately after the incident, they haven’t received any feedback.

He added that knowing what happened to his brother would help the family find closure.

“My brother was murdered gruesomely. From the look of things, he suffered excruciating pain before his death. They used a fire extinguisher to smash his face. We hardly recognised him when we went to identify his body at the mortuary,” he said.

Kachere’s brother-in-law Chifundo Tambala added that before the incident, he complained about safety of his workstation as it was an open space and the diesel in the pump attracted thieves.

But in a separate interview, Lilongwe Police Station spokesperson Hastings Chigalu, assured the family that despite the delays, they were doing everything possible to apprehend the culprits.

He said: “Police investigations are ongoing and we will arrest the culprits. We have been tracking his phone in collaboration with the network providers, but we haven’t been successful. We have employed other means and we will conclude this matter soon.”

According to Chigalu, a police investigation established that those responsible wanted to steal diesel from the pump and some people have already been questioned.

“We also take this opportunity to appeal to those with information regarding Kachere’s murder to come forth and share every information with us.

“The family and the nation should trust the police, this issue will be concluded. We know how important this is in consoling the family. We will break through,” he said.

Mota Engil spokesperson Thomas Chafunya said the company is still waiting for a police report to process compensation.