Malawi Police submits final report on Chasowa murder to Judiciary
The Malawi Police Service (MPS) says it has finally completed investigations surrounding the mysterious death of University of Malawi’s The Polytechnic engineering student Robert Chasowa who was found dead on campus six years ago.
Nation Police spokesperson James Kadadzera confirmed on Tuesday about the development.
Kadadzera was defensive on why they had taken half a dozen years to investigate the case, arguing such cases are complex.
“It takes a lot to investigate an issue like this one. You need time to question several people and to follow or procedures when doing the same,” said Kadadzera.
An activist, Chasowa was chair for the activist group Youth for Democracy (YfD) which printed a weekly pro-democracy and anti-Bingu wa Mutharika administration newsletter called the Weekly Political Update and his artciles were also posted on Nyasa Times.
Chasowa was killed in 2011 during the administration of Bingu wa Mutharika. A commission of inquiry into his death learnt that prior to his death at the Polytechnic campus in Blantyre, Chasowa had interactedwith some senior police officersa nd politicians.
The inquiry, which was instituted during Joyce Banda’s term, after she ascended to power following constitutional order following Bingu’s death on April 5 2012, recommended criminal prosecution of some DPP politicians and police officers.
The DPP, now under the leadership of Peter Mutharika, young brother of Bingu, did not trust the findings of the Chasowa inquiry.
Parliament last month passed a motion moved by an opposition legislator Everson Makowa Mwale (MCP) ,asking the United Kingdom to bring Scotland Yard Detectives to investigate Chasowa’s death.
Nkhata Bay South South East member of Parliament (MP) Noah Chipeni said the police in Malawi are failing to do their job well because of political interference.
“Mr Speaker, Sir, our investigating officers cannot do their fine job which they are known to be doing if constantly put on a short political leash. Mr Speaker, Sir, it is not to undermine our investigative institutions when we call upon government to ask for outside help but it is basically to deal with the delays that we have witnessed in these cases. And again, it is not to accuse our men in uniform of any maladroitness Mr Speaker, Sir, but it is because of delays that we have witnessed,” said Chimpeni.
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Countrymen, while it is commendable that the police have reached this far with this matter, I strongly think that the country can do better in ensuring that investigations on such serious matters are concluded in the most timely manner. Six years is too long a time for a family and citizens in general to obtain justice on the untimely death of a young promising youth like the late Mr. Chasowa. As a nation, I feel that we can do better. We also have several unconcluded matters that I think are taking too long to be concluded. Isa Njauju, a son… Read more »
Apolice ntcito yawo akumagwira mwa mantha kt itha kuwathela ngt angamange mmodzi wa boma lolamula. Komwe kuli kulemphela ntcito yawo, iwo sakanayenela kumankhala ndi mbali pogwira ntcito yawo. Final investigation sindikuiona2 apa.. Kodi mwatitenga ngt ndife zisilu zanu ???? Mwaiwala kt Chasowa adabezeka alibe ngankhale bala pa nthupi pake,, umboni uypose pamenepoooooo