Govt challenges Chakwera on albino murders: ‘Offer immediate solutions’

Government has challenged president  of Malawi Congress Party (MCP)  Lazarus Chakwera, to expose the syndicate he claims is behind the gruesome abductions and murdering of persons with albinism.

At a news conference in Lilongwe on Sunday, Chakwera alleged that there was a syndicate of powerful people in the corridors of power behind the killings and abductions of persons with albinism and that the police were helpless.

He also claimed to have solutions to the killings and abductions but that he would end them within one month if elected as President in the forthcoming tripartite elections.

But Minister of Information and Communications  Technology, Henry Mussa, and Minister of Homeland Security, Nicholas Dausi,  at a separate news conference on Tuesday took turns branding Chakwera’s claims as unfortunate and  politicizing the tragedy that persons with albinism are going through.

Mussa advised Chakwera to give the information he has to the Inspector General of Police or indeed to the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology.

He said the matter is a national concern that demands collective responsibility.

“There are our brothers’ and sisters’ lives at stake here, and we could lose more between now and elections date while he (Chakwera) has solutions to the problem. Why should he wait until he assumes presidency to provide the solutions when he could collaborate with Government to save lives before then,” said Mussa.

Mussa called it a “mockery to a critical situation” that some critics were taking advantage of the dismembering of persons with albinism to gain political mileage.

He said: “Lives of our persons with albinism should not be sacrificed on the altar of politics.”

On his part Dausi also faulted  MCP leader Chakwera for saying that  that he knows the solutions and that he is going to solve the problem when he gets into government.

Dausi challenged Chakwera to “offer immediate solutions.”

He said: “We cannot wait for people to continue dying because Chakwera wants to get into government; he should just offer the solutions now. That is totally insensitive and unfortunate to say there are solutions but they should wait until a certain period of time.”

Dausi appealed to the public that if  someone has information regarding the attackers and killers and where they sell the parts, “they should bring that information and report to the police so that we can put these people behind bars.”

He added: “As a country that prides itself as a God-fearing nation, what is happening is unbelievable. And I would like to assure that government will do all it can by employing all security measures to safeguard our brothers and sisters with albinism.”

Dausi  warned politicians not to use other people’s deaths, or those that have lost their loved ones.

Inspector General of police, Rodney Jose, said the Malawi Police Service has made all the necessary interventions to arrest the situation, but has further called on positive minded citizens to help through tip- offs and reporting of suspicious occurrences.

Of the 158 reported cases since 2013, 19 lives of persons with albinism have been killed and 36 cases have successfully been  completed in court, 39 still in court while 71 under police investigations according to the inspector general.

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