Update: Following earlier reports of flight protocol breaches, new testimony in the parliamentary inquiry into the fatal 2024 Chikangawa plane crash has linked former President Lazarus Chakwera to the flight's approval. Appearing before the ad hoc committee, former Defence Minister Harry Mkandawire testified that former military commander General Paul Valentino Phiri told him Chakwera had cleared Vice President Saulos Chilima to use the doomed military aircraft, according to Nyasa Times and Nation Online. Mkandawire acknowledged, however, that he did not personally verify the authorization with the former president.
The testimony adds complications to the probe, as current Defence Minister Feston Kaupa told the committee that no formal documentation exists authorizing the trip, reports Malawi24. Kaupa explained that while standard military flight requests follow a strict written procedure, the vice president's office often communicates directly with the president, who serves as Commander-in-Chief. Kaupa also confirmed that the 38-year-old Dornier 228 aircraft did not have a black box, noting that flight recorders are not mandatory for military planes under state aviation rules.
Meanwhile, public debate is escalating over the future of the vice presidency, with citizens pushing to abolish the office entirely. According to a recent poll and analysis by Malawi24, 78 percent of participants argued that the position consumes public resources without delivering value and has increasingly become a source of political rivalry rather than effective governance. Some citizens suggested replacing the role with a prime minister, while others are calling for constitutional reforms to grant the vice president clearly defined duties instead of relying on tasks delegated by the president.