Malawi’s vice president laid to rest

LILONGWE, Malawi

Malawi’s Vice President Saulos Chilima was buried Monday in his home village after he and eight others died when their plane crashed last week in the Chikangawa Forest in dense fog.

A funeral ceremony on Sunday led by Catholic bishops and attended by scores of Malawians from all walks of life united the country’s political leaders on both sides of the divide, with former presidents and vice presidents in attendance.

The remains of the 51-year-old corporate executive-turned politician were committed to the earth, bringing to an end an era which saw him rising to political prominence within a short time.

From 2014 to 2024, Chilima served two sitting presidents from different political parties as vice president, most recently under President Lazarus Chakwera.

In their emotional eulogies on Sunday during the mass funeral service at the country’s national stadium in the capital Lilongwe, the clergy, corporate executives and politicians on both sides described Chilima as a “patriotic politician who rose above ethnicity and regionalism.”

Archbishop Desmond Tambala, head of the Episcopal Conference of Malawi, said during the mass that the vice president was the “epitome of unity” both within the Church and outside ”whose example was worthy of emulating.”

“The country has lost an icon who taught us that one can do politics without dividing people either along tribal or regional lines. This man was smart in all what he did. He was so unique. Instead of dividing people for political mileage, Chilima was preaching for unity. Let’s strive to be like him,” Tambala said.

As he was being buried, calls on the government to establish an independent commission of inquiry to determine the circumstances which led to the plane crash continued to grow louder.

In his eulogy on Sunday, President Chakwera told the nation that his government was in support of the calls for an independent inquiry “that would help to unearth the truth.”

He said the Malawi Defense Force, which began its investigations into the plane crash last week, “can’t investigate itself.”

“It’s only an independent inquiry whose findings could be respected and accepted by all,” Chakwera said.

Before joining politics in 2104, Chilima worked for several companies including Airtel Malawi.