Chiefs summon Karonga youth activist for branding them ‘bootlickers’, demand apology

Whistleblower and Karonga Youth for Justice and Development (KYJD) executive director Steve Simusokwe was on Thursday summoned by a horde of chiefs from the disricts of Karonga and Chitipa, allegedly for calling them “bootlickers.”

Simusokwe made headlines in the media for quashing chiefs in the region who said were against public opinion that President Peter Mutharika should resign for failing Malawians.

 Nyasa Times quoted Simusokwe on March 2 who said the chiefs were “wrong” because they had not “consulted” their subjects.

But in reaction, Paramount Chief Kyungu who led the battalion of traditional leaders, said the rants made by Simusokwe were discourtious.

He said he [Simusokwe] should “reverse it and apologize.”

Kyungu said the decision to back the President is part of their mandated job to bring peace in the country as per the Malawi Chieftaincy Act.

“Simusokwe has insulted us the chiefs through Nyasa Times, and we called him here to discipline but has also defied our orders by not coming,” said Kyungu.

Senior Chief Kameme, reportedly Kyungu’s cousin, concurred with the latter saying that the hunger problem in the country has been there since 1948 and so it was not Mutharika’s problem.

But Simusokwe said he did not “insult” chiefs in a separate interview with Nyasa Times.

He added: “What I was saying is that the hunger situation, tribalism and the myriad of problems the country is facing are also affecting northerners. I was only voicing out for the voiceless.”

The youth activist attacked some members of the Karonga Forum for Oil and Gas for wearing party colours instead of concentrating on the roles for which their organisation was set up.

Nyasa Times understands that the meeting was not actually called for by the chiefs but by Wavisanga Silungwe, a Karonga political activist,

Media advisory messages for the presser sent  by the same Silungwe.

The whole Thursday evening Silungwe’s TNM line could not be reached. He could not pick up his Airtel line after countless attempts.

Meanwhile, Silungwe said Simusokwe had been fired from Karonga Forum for Oil and Gas.

 Nyasa Times also understands that the Forum is infested with the ruling party’s bootlickers.

Smart Kayira, deputy regional governor and the Forum’s deputy civic education officer, is one of them.

He pleaded with Nyasa Times not to “write bad” about the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).–Additional reporting by Pius Nyondo, Nyasa Times.