Mutharika recalls diplomat Chirwa
President Peter Mutharika has recalled Malawi’s High Commissioner to Kenya Brigadier Marcel Chirwa (retired) in a move government has described as a “normal recall process”.
Chirwa was appointed High Commissioner by former president Joyce Banda after reopening the embassy in Nairobi on March 1 2013.
Malawi expressed her desire to reopen the mission, which was closed in 2005, after hosting former Kenyan president Mwai Kibaki in January 2013.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation spokesperson Quent Kalichero confirmed in an interview on Tuesday that government has recalled from foreign service the retired Malawi Defence Force (MDF) senior officer.
He said: “Yes, I can confirm that Brigadier Marcel Chirwa is on recall. As for the reasons, it is normal for one to be posted to foreign service and equally normal to be recalled to home service. The exigencies of service dictate the postings and recalls.”
However, government is yet to repatriate Chirwa as it has given him ample time to conclude government and personal businesses.
Said Kalichero: “This is a fresh recall, so he is not in the country yet. Government regulations provide for at least three-month notice service before one reports back home to allow for proper winding up of government and personal business in the country one has been serving.”
Malawi and Kenya established their diplomatic relations in 1964, but the embassy was closed in 2005 by former president the late Bingu wa Mutharika allegedly on economic grounds.
Besides being Malawi’s High Commissioner to Kenya, Chirwa was also the country’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office in Nairobi.
Chirwa’s recall comes at a time when he is still mourning the death of his son, Dennis, who was brutally murdered by unknown assailants in Nairobi three weeks ago.
In 2008, the administration of Mutharika arrested Chirwa, alongside Brigadier General Cosgrave Mituka, then head of intelligence in MDF, on suspicion that they wanted to overthrow government.
