‘I Was Just The IG’s Messenger’ — Muwanga Tells Chikangawa Inquiry

As committee learns that the current Inspector General, Richard Luhanga, who was then Commissioner of Police in Mzuzu, called off the search after the plane was reported missing.

LILONGWE — Former Malawi Police Service Director of Operations Akis Muwanga has told the parliamentary committee investigating the Chikangawa plane crash that he did not make operational decisions on his own, insisting that his role was largely to carry out instructions from the Inspector General of Police.

Muwanga, who appeared before the committee on Tuesday as its latest witness, repeatedly described himself as a “messenger” for the Inspector General, saying the Director of Operations could not simply take decisions without instructions from the police chief

“I was a messenger of the IG,” Muwanga told the committee, a description that drew questions from committee chairperson Walter Nyamilandu, who said the characterization did not appear to adequately explain the responsibilities of a Director of Operations.

Muwanga maintained that he knew what he meant based on his experience in the police service, arguing that operational activities were carried out on the instructions of his superior

Asked whether he had a job description or terms of reference setting out what he was expected to do as Director of Operations, Muwanga said much of his work came directly from the Inspector General

His testimony also brought renewed attention to the police response after the aircraft carrying former Vice-President Saulos Chilima and eight other people disappeared on June 10, 2024.

Muwanga said he was in Lilongwe when he learned that the aircraft had gone missing and that the Inspector General informed him that the Commissioner in Mzuzu had reported the disappearance.

Was giving instructions- Yolamu.

He said he later received instructions to join the search operation after difficulties were encountered by teams on the ground.

Muwanga said the issue was raised after teams could no longer continue working because of inadequate equipment. The Inspector General then instructed him on what needed to be done.

Asked why, as Director of Operations, he had waited for instructions before going to assist the search teams, Muwanga said police officers could not simply leave their posts and act independently without the knowledge and authorization of the Inspector General.

He said this was how the police institution operated.

According to Muwanga, the bodies of five victims were found in different locations outside the wreckage, while others remained inside the aircraft.

The Wreckage.

He said additional teams equipped with tools such as axes had to be brought in to remove bodies from the wreckage.

Muwanga described the search and recovery operation as difficult but said it was eventually completed through cooperation between different security agencies, including the Malawi Defence Force.

However, some details of his account came under close questioning from committee members, particularly over the circumstances and timing of activities at the crash site.

In his opening remarks, Muwanga said the recovery operation was difficult, explaining that it was foggy at the crash site, even though the operation was taking place during the day. He also spoke about an incident in which a person stepped on a body during the search.

When asked why a torch was needed at around 10am, Muwanga said it was foggy at the crash site.

The handling of photographs and personal belongings recovered from the crash site also came under scrutiny.

Asked who took the photographs that later circulated on social media, Muwanga said he did not know.

He said police officers and soldiers were preoccupied with the search and recovery operation and therefore may not have noticed who was taking photographs.

Muwanga suggested that the photographs could have been taken by civilians who had gathered at the scene, while stressing that security personnel operated according to orders.

“I would be lying if I said who took the pictures because everyone was busy and we did not notice that someone was taking them,” he told the committee.

He similarly distanced himself from the handling of personal belongings recovered from the crash site, including mobile phones belonging to some of the victims.

Muwanga said the wreckage and belongings were scattered because the aircraft had moved through the terrain after striking rocks.

He said specialised Criminal Investigations Department officers were assigned to handle the recovered property and that he personally did not take custody of it.

According to Muwanga, the property was subsequently taken to Mzuzu and was under the custody of then Northern Region Police Commissioner Richard Luhanga, who included details of the recovered items in a report to the Inspector General.

The committee also questioned Muwanga about another Muwanga who witnesses had previously mentioned in connection with the events surrounding the crash.

He clarified that the person referred to at Mzuzu State Lodge was his younger brother, not himself.

Muwanga said he and his brother did not discuss the incident because it was an official matter rather than a family matter.

Muwanga was also questioned about the decision to stop the search operation.

In his testimony, Muwanga also referred to Richard Luhanga, who was the Northern Region Police Commissioner based in Mzuzu at the time and is now the Inspector General of Police who he said is the one who called off the search.

Luhanga- called off the search and rescue efforts.

Muwanga maintained throughout his testimony that he acted on instructions from senior police command and that he did not independently make operational decisions.

His repeated description of himself as a “messenger” of the Inspector General, however, prompted the committee to press him on the actual responsibilities of a Director of Operations and the extent to which he was expected to exercise his own judgment.

Died in the crash- Chilima

The committee continues to examine the events before, during and after the disappearance and crash of the aircraft that killed Chilima and eight others in Chikangawa on June 10, 2024.