Government moves to tackle recent murder cases
Malawi Government has challenged security agencies to combine efforts in tackling the recent spate of murders and ensure that crime does not become a defining feature of the country’s social fabric.
Briefing the media at the Central Office of Information in Lilongwe yesterday, Minister of Information and Digitisation Moses Kunkuyu stressed that the government will do everything to solve these murders and enhance security.
In a space of five days, the country recorded gruesome murder incidents in Lilongwe where Parliament of Malawi employee Michael Thomu, Coca-Cola Beverages Company (Malawi) sales manager Alan Wittika, Reserve Bank of Malawi’s ICT and network manager Agnes Katengeza and a Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (Luanar) fresh graduate Jacob Msokera were murdered.
The murders have been recorded amid many other petty crimes by unknown assailants who have robbed people of various valuables, including mobile phones, money and laptop computers.
Kunkuyu, who is the official government spokesperson, said any loss of life is deeply regrettable, and the circumstances of the recent gruesome deaths do not define the nature of Malawians.
He said: “We would like to assure all Malawians that the government has tasked the police and all other security agencies to put all their resources and expertise together with decisive action, to solve these murders to ensure that they do not become a defining feature of our social fabric.”
Kunkuyu said security will also be enhanced across the country, to ensure that all citizens feel safe to go about their day-to-day business without having to look over their shoulders.
He was accompanied by Minister of Homeland Security Ken Zikhale Ng’oma, but the latter left just as the press briefing started.
In an earlier press briefing on Monday, Ng’oma described the three most recent murders as isolated cases, urging people not to panic.
Meanwhile, the Parliamentary Committee on Defence and Security has summoned the Ministry of Homeland Security, Malawi Police Service and the National Intelligence Service to explain the state of security in the country as well as how they are handling the recent unsolved murder cases.
