By Edwin Mauluka
The fatal shooting of a medical doctor inside her home has reignited national concerns over security, with lawmakers calling for urgent protection of health workers and swift action to bring the attackers to justice.
Police confirmed the death of Dr. Victoria Bobe, a 33-year-old physician living in Chigumula Township in Limbe. According to Limbe Police spokesperson Aubrey Singanyama, unknown assailants broke into her home on Monday night.
Police said the attackers gained entry by drilling a hole through the brick fence wall, overpowering a security guard, and accessing the house through the main door. Dr. Bobe’s husband told investigators the intruders demanded money before shooting his wife in the head. They fled with a laptop computer.
Rising on a matter of national importance in Parliament on Tuesday, Blantyre City Soche-Zingwangwa MP Penjani Kamlepo Kalua said the killing highlights a worrying deterioration in national security and called for urgent intervention.
Kalua also pressed the Minister of Homeland Security to indicate whether the ministry has plans to offer security to medical personnel who provide essential services, noting that many health workers operate overnight and may be vulnerable.
Salima Central West MP Enock Phale also raised concerns about security, reinforcing the broader call for government action.
Responding, Homeland Security Minister Peter Mukhitho said police were actively pursuing leads and conducting forensic and ballistic analyses.
“Police are conducting forensic examinations and following leads that will lead to the perpetrators,” he said, appealing to the public to assist authorities with any information that could expedite arrests.
Mukhitho added that security agencies are reviewing residential security measures, including strengthening community policing structures.
“This heinous act of violence underscores the urgent need for coordinated efforts to combat crime and enhance security across communities,” he said, adding that the Democratic Progressive Party–led government under President Peter Mutharika remains committed to upholding the rule of law.
Before her death, Dr. Bobe taught in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHeS).
