Police Inspector General (IG) Richard Luhanga has described the search for the military plane that killed Vice-President Saulos Chilima and eight others as “disjointed” and “archaic” due to poor set-up and lack of equipment.
In his brief to Parliament’s Ad-hoc Committee investigating the June 10, 2024 crash, Luhanga—who was Commissioner of Police for the Northern Region and leader of the search and rescue mission at the time—said the operation could have been done better.
| Nation
“It was a spontaneous operation, a disjointed search because of the way it was set up. I would also say the search was conducted in an archaic way because of lack of equipment such as helicopters,” he said.
“We were walking on foot in the forest… In modern times and with proper equipment, surely we should have equipment and deploy drones or helicopters to search.”
Luhanga, whom several witnesses said ordered suspension of the search on the night of June 10, confirmed he gave the order.
He said it was justified due to lack of proper search and rescue equipment, including torches.
Luhanga called it a “tactical pause,” not a stop or abandonment.
Former president Lazarus Chakwera, in a late-night address on June 10, 2024, disputed reports that the search was stopped.
In his testimony last week, former Malawi Defence Force commander General Paul Velentino Phiri (retired) also said that “the military search” did not stop.
Luhanga said as the most senior officer on the ground, he called off the search and returned to Mzuzu, before going back to the scene around 4am the next day.
Police were “a bit out of their depth” and continuing would have been merely “cosmetic,” he said.
Luhanga cited inadequate equipment, poor preparedness for extreme cold, delayed public announcement that the Vice-President’s aircraft was missing, and poor coordination among agencies.
An earlier announcement could have helped people with information to assist, he said.
Earlier yesterday, his boss at the time, Merlyne Yolamu, disputed testimony by her then director of operations Akis Muwanga that he was effectively her “messenger” during the search.
Muwanga told the committee last week that he did not make operational decisions independently and repeatedly described himself as a “messenger” of the Inspector General.
Yolamu rejected that, saying operational responsibility was delegated through established command structures.
Her role was to provide overall oversight, receive reports and give strategic direction, not to personally undertake operations assigned to junior officers.
The differing accounts highlight how authority flowed through police command and how much discretion senior officers below the IG could exercise.
During his testimony, Luhanga said he had pictures and videos of the accident scene taken before bodies were retrieved, but would only show them to committee members, not the public.
Committee chairperson Walter Nyamilandu said last week the witness-hearing phase is expected to end by October 30, before analysis involving pathologists and digital forensic experts.
Both Luhanga and Yolamu urged Parliament to ensure adequate funding for the Malawi Police Service.
In March 2026, Malawi’s Parliament established an Ad-hoc Committee to conduct a fresh inquiry into the June 10, 2024, military plane crash that killed vice-president Saulos Klaus Chilima and eight others in the Chikangawa Forest.
The decision to form the parliamentary committee stemmed directly from public dissatisfaction and unresolved questions regarding previous investigations. Prior technical assessments, including one conducted by Germany’s Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation and a subsequent 19-member presidential Commission of Inquiry led by Justice Jabbar Alide, had attributed the crash largely to adverse weather and operational factors, concluding that there was no foul play.
However, these findings faced widespread criticism and scepticism from the public.
Recognising that the previous investigations lacked the necessary credibility to restore public trust, President Peter Mutharika directed Parliament to take up the matter.
The Executive branch positioned Parliament as a neutral, representative body best suited to lead an unbiased investigation. Minister of Justice Charles Mhango presented this directive to the National Assembly, and Speaker Sameer Suleman subsequently ruled in favour of establishing the independent parliamentary body.
