Police mount search for Phalombe man with albinism

Police are searching for a 39-year-old man with albinism reported missing in Phalombe on Janaurya 29 2023.

The man, identified as Ajack Namanya from Traditional Authority (T/A) Chiwalo in the district, was last seen at one of the drinking joints in Phalombe and only his pair of shoes and a cap were found the following day, according to police.

National Police spokesperson Peter Kalaya said in an interview yesterday they are engaging local communities, including relatives and traditional leaders to find Namanya’s whereabouts.

He said: “We have launched an investigation into the matter and we have questioned some people, including those who were last seen with him. The search is still ongoing and we are treating him as a missing person because there is no evidence that he has been murdered.”

Association of Persons with Albinism in Malawi president Young Muhamba said it was worrisome to note that attacks on persons with albinism are resurfacing.

He said since January 1 2023, three cases of attempted abduction have been reported.

Muhamba said: “We are worried about our safety. We were promised security but it seems the government has relaxed. We want speedy investigation into these issues and a report on the findings of the commission of inquiry that was instituted by the government as it might help to give answers to this mystery and perhaps end such barbaric acts.

“It’s sad that up to now, nobody knows the truth about this issue, including the market or its master minders.”

In 2019, former president Peter Mutharika instituted a commission of inquiry into abductions, attacks and killings of persons with albinism, but the commission failed to establish perpetrators and market of the human tissues.

Mutharika’s successor President Lazarus Chakwera, who received the initial inquiry report, in 2021 directed that the Terms of Reference be drawn for the institution of a new committee to look into the matter, but there is nothing happening on the ground.

Malawi witnessed a spate of abductions and killings of albinos ahead of the 2019 Tripartite Elections.

The country has an estimated 134 000 people with albinism.

People with albinism have a hereditary genetic condition which causes a total absence of pigmentation in the skin, hair and eyes. They are targeted purportedly because of beliefs that their body parts can increase wealth, make businesses prosper or facilitate employment.

Since 2014, there have been 150 cases, 25 murders and scores of abductions of persons with albinism reported.