Chikaonda body arrives in Malawi from US, burial Monday

The body of former Cabinet minister and corporate executive Mathews Chikaonda, who died on October 30 in United States of America (USA),  arrived  in the country on Sunday through Kamuzu International Airport in Lilongwe.

There were emotional scenes with several people breaking down as remains of the former corporate executive arrived and then taken to his residence in Area 43 for a brief ceremony before proceeding to Tembetembe Village, Traditional Authority Kachindamoto, Mtakataka in Dedza.

Chikaonda,  who died after a long battle with Cancer, will be laid to rest Monday at his home village in Dedza  with full military honours, at Tembetembe Village.

Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Samuel Tembenu will represent President Peter Mutharika at the ceremony, according to the statement by Chief Secretary in the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) Lloyd Muhara.

Chikaonda held many key positions in the country both in the public and private sector. He once served as Reserve Bank of Malawi (RBM) governor from 1995 before a brief stint as Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development following his appointment in 2000.

In April 2012, Chikaonda—who is survived by a wife and three children—was appointed Malawi Stock Exchange (MSE)-dual listed Press Corporation Limited plc group chief executive officer, a position he held until his retirement in December 2016.

Born on August 8 1954, Chikaonda held a doctor of philosophy (PhD) in finance from the University of Massachusets, USA, a master of business administration (MBA) from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania; bachelor of arts degree from the Council for National Academic Awards at Huddersfield University in the United Kingdom and a diploma in business administration from The Polytechnic, a constituent college of the University of Malawi.

He also served as a professor of finance at Memorial University of Newfoundland in Canada between 1988 and 1994 before his appointment as RBM deputy governor in 1994.