Kunkuyu could be grilled over Chilima black box claims

Former Information Minister Moses Kunkuyu could be subpoenaed to appear before the parliamentary committee investigating the June 10, 2024 plane crash that killed former Vice-President Saulos Chilima and eight others, as pressure mounts for him to explain explosive remarks he made claiming the aircraft’s black box was found and preserved.

Committee chairperson Walter Nyamilandu Manda confirmed the possibility remains firmly on the table, though the final decision will depend on the committee’s assessment of key witnesses to be invited during the inquiry’s crucial final phase.

In a striking twist, it has emerged that Kunkuyu, who served as Information Minister under the previous Malawi Congress Party administration, actually requested back in May this year to be among the first witnesses called before the committee.

The former minister, who also serves as MP for Dedza Mulunduni, argued that the mystery surrounding the aircraft’s black box kept resurfacing throughout the inquiry, and insisted it would serve the public interest for the committee to hear directly from everyone who has been mentioned in connection with the device.

Despite his own request, Kunkuyu has been conspicuously overlooked, failing to receive an invitation during either the first or second phase of the inquiry.

Nyamilandu confirmed Kunkuyu could yet be summoned, but only once the committee reaches its third and final phase, during which lawmakers plan to specifically engage with politicians linked to the tragedy.

“At the right time, the committee will sit down and assess whether to invite Honourable Moses Kunkuyu to testify in the appropriate phase, which is the third phase,” Nyamilandu said.

He confirmed the committee remains focused on working through witnesses in the ongoing second phase, but was careful not to shut the door entirely on Kunkuyu’s eventual appearance.

“We are still calling the witnesses, and I cannot rule out the possibility of Honourable Kunkuyu coming. We will engage politicians in the final, third phase,” Manda said.

Kunkuyu’s controversial black box claim has continued to hang over the inquiry, with the device’s true status still shrouded in uncertainty months after the tragedy that claimed the lives of Chilima and eight others — a mystery that many now believe only Kunkuyu himself can help clear up, once he finally takes his seat before the committee.