Supuni takes power as Maulana fails to turn up: Malawi army commander inaugurated by deputy minister
In depature to tradiiton, deputy minister of defence Aggrey Mssi on Wednesday handed over a sword of command to the newly appointed army commander General Griffin Supuni Phiri at Kamuzu Barracks parade square in Lilongwe replacing geneal Ignacious Maulana.
Maulana who was unceremoniously removed from the position by President Peter Mutharika did not turn up for the inauguration.
Mutharika appointed Maulana and Supuni-Phiri to the ranks of commander and deputy commander respectively in June 2014, barely a month after he assumed the presidency after his victory in the May 20 2014 Tripartite Elections.
The outgoing army chief did not give reasons for not turning up.
But despite his abscence deputy minister of defence Masi handed the sword of command to Supuni in a ceremony attended by soldiers.
Masi said President Mutharika has confidence in Supuni Phiri as the new military chief.
Maulana, like his predecessor Henry Odillo who remains on the government payroll until his retirement in 2019, is set to head the security section of the National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA) until he attains the mandatory retirement age of 60 next year.
In his remarks, General Supuni Phiri said “everyone has a role to play within the force.”
He said every soldier should be treated accordingly: “We area family.”
Supuni-Phiri, who for a long time served as Malawi’s military attache at the Malawi Mission at the United Nations and as aide de camp to then president Bakili Muluzi, will be deputised by Lieutenant General Clement Namangale (administration) and Lieutenant General Vincent Nundwe (operations).
The new army commander comes in at a time when the MDF is embroiled in alleged acts of corruption in procurement.
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Me personally I have no respect for the so called Malawi army and Maulana should be arrested for desertion!
Infact this bunch of cowards should just be disbanded it is there just to steal and beat up drunks!
The following are the best and worst Army commanders Malawi Army has ever had .
BEST: No.3- Gen J Chimbayo (MHSRIP), No.2 – Gen H Odillo, No1. Gen G. Matewere (MHSRIP)
WORST: No.3 – Gen Ignacio Maulana, No.2 – Gen Ignacio Maulana, No1 – Gen Ignacio Maulana.
Palibenso
Really,SUPUNI.What do people expect from eating utensils? The name itself tells what sort of an Army Commander Malawians are going to live with.The next one would be FOLOKO eti? Agalu inu.
People who do not understand Maulana can comment stupidly like what most of you are writing. He is a man of his principles of which if we had people like him in every district, there would be no thieves like what Malawi is experiencing now. Umbuli wanyanya pa Malawi. The government is failing to operate comfortably due to much corruption in the government employees i.e. the Ben Phiris, Goodwel Gondwe, Mussa, Msaka, Dausi, Mukhito, Supuni just to mention a few and these are the ones the government depend on. So sorry my Malawian people
A man with principle should have attended. It also begs the question what type of a solder is that? Is he a politician to boycotter an occasion?
Soldiers live by their own code, and he has disgraced that code. FULL STOP.
Guys, what Maulana did is acceptable. Corruption is too much in Malawi and not alone MDF. If Maulana did anything wrong, “Why is he not Implicated?” I really pity the Malawi government for cordoning corruption. Maulana is an innocent man who does not involve himself in such “deals”. I am really surprised to read all this nonsense about a planned coup. Maulana is not that type of person. All this is smear lies. The new so called commander is the one involved in corruption, coupled with the Indians and some Ministers who were busy having meetings behind Maulanas back. This… Read more »
Even if I was Maulana I would have not come. Why coming to a ceremonies which oust me. Further more kundipatsa udindo olondera chimanga, akhobwe ndi zina zotere.
Which Commander retired, they were all ousted, but they came.
Achewatu ali phee pano. Aona kuti Army Commander ndi Inspector General ndi ochewa anzao. Koma akanasankha mulomwe ikanakhala nkhanitu
Osanamizila aChewa. Izi siza AChewa bwanji kuputa mtundu wosalakwa? Kulemba adalemba ndi Mlomwe kuchotsanso anachotsa ndi Mlomwe, mukufuna kubisala kwa a Chewa lero. Ndani sakudziwa kuti mcholinga chanu kufuna kufooketsa dziko KKKKKKK
Iwe pwezi stupid person. Supuni phiri is Lomwe from Mulanje. There are many phiris in the South. Its Supunis wife who is from Kasungu.
Maulana is coward and will always be,akuti amaopa kuti asilikari and their families amukuwa if he came.It just shows kuti he new that he did not treat soldiers well,he thought he was commander for life and irreplaceable. Surprisingly am told all other former commanders were present for this coloufull occassion.Chonsecho he is still clinging to MDF vehicles and still staying in MDF house in the Barracks.MDF trucks and resources are still being used to build his personal house.Munthu oyipa mtima kwabasi.
It says a lot for a grown man “Kunyanyala”, and we always have a go at politicians for not wanting to leave their posts. Is Maulana the first to be removed? But it appears he is the first not to hand over. I will not be surprised to hear he has gone to court to claim he is still the head because he did not hand over.
Is he also not the one who war rumoured to br plotting a coup?
Inu a Kanthu Ako, siyani kulota ngati muli kunja. Simukudziwa zomwe zidamuchitkila Maulana? How can the whole Commander be asigned watchman for a a grain company? This is insult of highest order and only possible in Malawi where tribalism is the order of the day
Even if it had been me,sindikanapita after such a pheneminal demotion
Do you know where Maulana is coming from? Do you know where Supuni is coming from? Or do you where the inspector general of police is coming from? You must be a very stupid rat with a billion meter length.
so you agree with me “Ananyanyala”