VP Chilima to Be Laid to Rest Monday After State Funeral
Chilima was traveling to attend a separate funeral when the plane went down in Chikangawa Forest in northern Malawi's Mzimba district.
LILONGWE, Malawi -- Malawi will begin three days of mourning ceremonies Friday for Vice President Saulos Chilima, who died in a plane crash earlier this week, ahead of his burial on Monday in his home district of Ntcheu, write Tionge Hara and Jonathan Mzumazi.
President Lazarus Chakwera declared 21 days of national mourning for all the nine plane crash victims
Information Minister Moses Kunkuyu announced the funeral plans Wednesday as the nation grieves Chilima and eight others killed in Monday's accident near in Chikangawa Forest in the northern district of Mzimba.
The vice president's body will be transported Friday from the mortuary to St. Patrick's Parish in Area 18 of Lilongwe for a funeral mass.
It will then lie in state at his official residence in Area 12 until Saturday.
On Sunday, a public funeral ceremony will be held at Civo Stadium in the capital before Chilima's remains are taken to Msipe in Ntcheu district for burial on Monday.
"The final funeral ceremony and the burial will take place at Chilima's home village," Kunkuyu told reporters.
Post-mortems will be conducted on all victims except Abdul Lapukeni, who was buried Wednesday in Mangochi district, the minister said.
The Malawi Defense Force is leading an investigation into the cause of the crash.
"Those interested will also participate in the crash probe," Kunkuyu added.
Chilima's UTM party has urged unity as it mourns the death of its president, who was widely expected to run for president in 2025 after serving as vice president since 2020.
"It's a great loss to lose our party leader," UTM Secretary General Patricia Kaliati said Wednesday.
"We are grieved and ask God for the strength."
She called on members to "unite and maintain calm during this challenging period of grief and uncertainty."
The crash ranked among Malawi's worst-ever tragedies.
In addition to Chilima, the dead included Shanil Muluzi, the former first lady and ex-wife of ex-president Bakili Muluzi.
She will receive a military burial in Balaka on Friday.
Chilima was traveling to attend a separate funeral when the plane went down in Chikangawa Forest in northern Malawi's Mzimba district.
No one survived the crash.
An economist by training, Chilima had held executive roles at major corporations like Unilever and Airtel before entering politics.
He left a widow, Mary, and two children.