Malawi Defence Force (MDF) Brigadier General Dan Kuwali has deplored conspiracy theories linking some people to the death of vice-president Saulos Chilima and eight others in a June 10 2024 military plane crash.
The MDF chief of policy, strategy and plans told Parliament’s Ad-hoc Committee investigating the crash at Nthungwa within Viphya Plantation in Nkhata Bay that the allegations on social media are tarnishing people’s reputations.
“Some of us have families. We have come from far to build the names we have today. We cannot allow some individuals, who have smoked cocaine, to dent our names like this,” said Kuwali, urging the committee to help identify those behind the claims.
In response, committee chairperson Walter Nyamilandu assured him that Parliament would protect witnesses and would not entertain unverified accusations.
Kuwali made the appeal after about two hours of testimony in which he denied authorising or facilitating the use of the military aircraft by the vice-president, maintaining that his involvement was limited to coordinating a charter request for the family of fallen lawyer Raphael Kasambara through MDF channels.
He told the committee that the aircraft was initially chartered following a request from the Kasambara family, with approval granted through the MDF chain of command under General Paul Velentino Phiri (now retired).
Kuwali said he later learnt that “the Commander” had authorised Chilima’s inclusion on the flight, but sought clarification because it was unclear whether the reference was to the Commander-in-Chief, the Defence Force Commander or the Air Force Commander. He added that his contact to with Air Force Commander Brigadier General Robray Ismael established he was unaware.
He further said that upon reviewing the itinerary, he and Ismael concluded that the schedule was operationally impossible because of existing commitments and daylight restrictions.
Kuwali added that despite his long-standing friendship with Chilima, intervening directly was outside his mandate.
He also told the committee that after learning that the aircraft had gone missing, he contacted United States Embassy security liaison officer Major Benjamin Snyder for assistance, but received no operational follow-up.
Responding to why he did not join the search, he said search-and-rescue operations were under Brigadier General Richard Chagonapanja and military procedures did not permit interference outside established command structures.
The committee also heard from former MDF Chief of Staff Major General Mandiza Kalisha, who said he had no role in aircraft operations before the crash, having assumed office on May 13 2024.
He said he found that Malawi Air Force aircraft were uninsured and pilot training programmes were underfunded, affecting refresher courses. He added that some pilots had not renewed their licences because of training lapses linked to funding constraints.
Office of the Vice-President former chief of protocol Davie Kalilombe also testified that he had no operational authority over flight decisions, saying his role was limited to logistics and coordination.
He said he coordinated advance preparations for the Mzuzu trip, deployed airport and hotel teams and confirmed boarding arrangements on the morning of June 10 2024.
The committee is expected to resume hearings this morning with testimony from three groups of witnesses, including members of the family of the late former first lady Shanil Dzimbiri, who was serving in the Vice-President’s office.
Findings from the German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation (BFU), released in October 2025, established that the navigation system on the aircraft recorded position data until 10.16am, moments before the crash.
The parliamentary probe marks the third investigation into the tragedy.
In December 2024, a commission of inquiry chaired by High Court of Malawi Judge Jabbar Alide and appointed by former president Lazarus Chakwera ruled out foul play. It attributed the accident to bad weather and other human factors.
