Mtekama’s body exhumation this month
The remains of former Criminal Investigations Department (CID) director Bob Mtekama will be exhumed this month, officials have confirmed.
High Court of Malawi and Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal registrar Kondwani Banda and Ministry of Justice spokesperson Pirirani Masanjala confirmed the development in separate interviews.
Mtekama’s remains will be disinterred after chief resident magistrate Patrick Chirwa, who is now a high court judge, sitting as a coroner ordered the digging up to allow experts to conduct a post-mortem following the family’s request.
Mtekama died on August 4 2020 and was buried three days later at Nkhono Village in Nkhotakota District. A police statement that the top detective, who had an underlying condition of diabetes died at Blantyre Adventist Hospital after testing positive for Covid-19.
But his family suspected foul-play after police quickly moved the body from Blantyre to his home village for burial. The family claimed there were questionable events before and after his death, prompting Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Steven Kayuni to ask the court to open an inquest.
Said Banda: “Following the request, the court shifted the dates and the exhumation is now scheduled for this month-end. You may need to check with the State on their preparedness.”
Masanjala said the budget for the activity is ready.
Family members, the court, officers from the office of DPP, the police and Nkhotakota District Heath Office are expected to travel to Nkhono Village for the exercise on a day yet to be announced.
Mtekama died while undertaking several high-profile investigations, including the multi-billion kwacha cement import deal and the 2014 murder of former Anti-Corruption Bureau director of corporate affairs Issa Njauju.
In September 2020, a month after the detective’s death, then Inspector General of Police George Kainja said the service instituted a probe into his death following speculation of foul-play.
In May this year, the Malawi Human Rights Commission also said it was launching an investigation into his death.
Mtekama studied criminal law at the University of Zanzibar and was the only Malawian police officer trained in forensic science by the University of Malawi’s College of Medicine. He was also trained by the Federal Bureau of Investigations in the US.
