Man arrested  for ‘trading’ in human bones jailed 6 years

Zomba Senior Resident Magistrate’s Court  Friday sentenced a 36  year  old, Mwishi Msosa to  six years imprisonment upon being found guilty of offering to sale human bones believed to be those of a person with albinism.

The crime is contrary to Section 224 of the Penal Code which is against dealing in human tissues, according to Eastern Region Police Prosecuting Officer, Superintendent Patrick Chambuluka.

He told the court that Msosa approached a businessman and offered him bones extracted from a human corpse at Mwinjirani Village in Senior Traditional Authority Nyambi in Machinga in July, 2018.

It was heard in court that the businessman reported the matter to a village head that in turn referred the matter to members of community based policing group.

The prosecutor told the court that the community policing members apprehended Msosa and handed him to Nselema Police Unit in Machinga who carried investigations into the matter leading to the arrest of the convict.

“When police interviewed the convict, he said he was sent by friends in Mozambique to look for markets in the country to sale the bones of a person with albinism,” Chambuluka said.

Msosa pleaded guilty and admitted to the charges of transacting in human tissues as such the court convicted him on his own plea of guilty.

Prosecutor Chambuluka asked the court to consider giving Msosa a custodial sentence considering the seriousness of the offence, saying attacks of people with albinism are common in Machinga where people were living in fear.

He pointed out that what Msosa did was a threat to people with albinism and the whole society as murder of people with albinism is becoming common.

In mitigation, Msosa pleaded for leniency and a non-custodial sentence, saying he has a family to look after.

Senior Resident Magistrate, Christopher Makumba said Msosa needed a custodial sentence to keep him away from the society.

“Despite not being found with the bones,” he observed, “Msosa still deserves a stiffer penalty considering that this was also a threat to people with albinism.”

Msosa comes from Limamu Village in the area of Traditional Authority (TA) Bwananyambi in Mangochi.

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