Malawi rights body says lack of political will dragging Chasowa, Njauju murder investigations
State sponsored human rights body, the Malawi Human Rights Commission (MHRC) says lack of political will is dragging investigations into the death of Polytechnic student Robert Chasowa and former Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) corporate affairs director Issa Njauju.
MHRC chairperson Justice Dzonzi said during the presentation of the state of human rights report to President Peter Mutharika some years back, the Head of State and Minister of Justice, Constitutional Affairs Samuel Tembenu promised to work with speed to bring the culprits to book.
“There is simply no political will. This government will never investigate these murders,” he said.
Dzonzi said this on Wednesday as parliamentarians confirmed Rodney Jose as the new inspector general of Malawi police amidst allegations that he is connected to the murder of Chasowa.
Malawi Congress Party (MCP) spokesperson on legal matters Maxwell Thyolera said Jose was had not been cleared of his involvement in the Chasowa murder.
“The death of student Robert Chasowa, while Jose was Commissioner for Southern Region, as the commission of inquiry instituted by the former president Joyce Banda implicated him as one of the persons who masterminded it. Until today, he has not been cleared of that allegation,” he said.
In his comments, Dzonzi said the government could have asked the United Kingdom or the United States to help with forensic experts.
Chasowa was mercilessly killed in 2011 after he was abducted from campus and a 2012 commission of inquiry said he was killed by police and ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) operatives.
The state however has been blamed for its failure to investigate the murder of Njauju.
Police spokesperson James Kadadzera asked for more time whilst officials from the Ministry of Justice refused to comment on the matter.
Njauju was killed on July 4 2015 and his body was found half-buried behind the presidential villas in Lilongwe while his official vehicle was burnt to ashes at Mtsiriza, a peri-urban township west of Area 47 in the capital city.
Following the murder, several donor countries, including the UK, immediately condemned what was deemed a politically motivated killing and rallied behind embattled staff at the ACB.
Motives of the murder remain unknown just as the identities of those behind the heinous crime.
Government has over the years come under intense public pressure to bring to justice those responsible.
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By the way in Malawi, we deliberately put law which oppress us like Life presidency ( was there), a president who can not be sued, no prime minister to run the govt, no senate, president as the head of both govt and head of state, commander in chief etc, no recall provision, no resignation especially for a failure of public office, with this one day we will really suffer. Amen.
There is time for everything…time to fool oneself and feel the murder one committed will never be investigated and time for the long arm of the Law to catch up with you! Those who murdered Njauju and Chasowa one day will have their day in court. Ndithudidi…tsiku lidzakwana!!Ntheladi……mwachenjela lero koma mudzapusa mawa>>>
Come 2019 our brothers will still vote DPP back to government