UTM to decide official’s fate after shocking coffin conviction

UTM party is scrambling to hold emergency crisis talks after one of its senior officials was convicted of a shocking stunt that saw him dump a child’s coffin outside his ex-wife’s home, sparking chaos in Blantyre.

The party’s powerful executive committee is now preparing to meet to decide what action to take against Bright Kawanga, the party’s Director of Elections, following his conviction over the bizarre and disturbing incident.

UTM spokesperson Felix Njawala confirmed  that the party would take action once the committee convenes to discuss the fallout from the scandal.

The Blantyre court has already handed down its punishment, ordering Kawanga to complete 80 hours of community service at Ndirande Hospital as a consequence of placing a baby’s coffin at the doorstep of his former wife’s home — an act that caused significant public disturbance in the area.

The disturbing case has sent shockwaves through the party’s senior ranks, with officials now facing mounting pressure to demonstrate they take the conduct of their own leadership seriously, particularly given the deeply personal and troubling nature of the incident.

While details of the exact charges brought against Kawanga, and the full context behind the disturbing coffin stunt, remain limited, the court’s decision to hand down a community service sentence rather than a custodial one suggests the matter was treated as a public order offence rather than anything more serious.

The scandal comes at an awkward time for UTM, which will now need to weigh whether to take disciplinary action against Kawanga internally, on top of the criminal punishment already imposed by the courts — a decision likely to prove contentious among party members and supporters alike.

Sources close to the party suggest the executive committee faces a delicate balancing act: acting decisively enough to reassure the public that such conduct won’t be tolerated among senior officials, while also avoiding the appearance of a party turning on one of its own over what some may view as a personal, rather than political, matter.

It remains unclear at this stage whether Kawanga intends to remain in his post as Director of Elections while the party deliberates, or whether he faces suspension or removal once the committee reaches its decision.