By The Forum

Malawi’s Parliamentary Ad Hoc Committee investigating the 2024 plane crash that killed Vice President Saulos Klaus Chilima has issued an open call for information from the public.

The committee is revisiting the June 10, 2024 accident in which Chilima and eight others died when a Malawi Air Force Dornier 228 went down at Nthungwa, near Chikangawa in Nkhata Bay District.

In a brief statement on Tuesday, Parliament said members of the public can submit information via a dedicated hotline (0886597687) or in person at the Parliament Building in Lilongwe. “All information submitted will be treated with strict confidentiality,” the statement said.

The committee’s work is expected to begin in mid-May 2026, with about 150 witnesses lined up to testify. Proceedings will include both closed (in camera) sessions and public hearings, guided by defined selection criteria.

Committee chairperson Walter Nyamilandu Manda said submissions are welcome even if they were not presented in earlier processes. The inquiry will draw on documentary records, witness testimony, site visits and specialist input to ensure a thorough, credible and transparent investigation.

The probe will start with three parallel processes: a Health, Safety, Security and Environmental (HSSE) audit of operations and systems; a forensic audit to establish facts and uncover new information; and post-mortem analyses to clarify the medical and pathological causes of death.

Chilima, then leader of the UTM party and a key ally in the ruling Malawi Congress Party coalition, had departed Lilongwe International Airport for Mzuzu, en route to Nkhata Bay to attend the funeral of former attorney general Ralph Kasambara.

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