By Rahim Abdul
A Mangochi court has sentenced a 40-year-old woman to 18 months in prison for causing the death of an eight-year-old girl through reckless driving.
The Mangochi Senior Resident Magistrate’s Court also fined her 50-year-old husband K580,000 for allowing an unlicensed person to drive and for acting as an unregistered driving instructor.
The court heard that on August 9, 2026, Sande James was teaching his wife, Zainab Alli Mposa, how to drive a Honda Fit motor vehicle, registration number MH 1100A, despite the vehicle being uninsured and Mposa not having a valid driving licence.
According to Prosecutor Sub-Inspector Regina Chikungwa, Mposa was driving at excessive speed when she lost control of the vehicle while passing their neighbour’s house. The vehicle struck their neighbour’s eight-year-old daughter, Mariam Salade, who was playing with friends near the house.
The impact trapped the child against a nearby building. Mariam sustained severe head injuries and was rushed to Mangochi District Hospital, where she was pronounced dead on arrival.
The court further heard that following the incident, the couple allegedly fled the scene. James later reported the matter to Mangochi Police, claiming that he had been driving the vehicle.
However, police investigations established the following morning that James had allegedly been shielding his wife, leading to the arrest of both suspects.
When the couple appeared before court, Mposa pleaded guilty to all three charges brought against her, while James also pleaded guilty to the charges levelled against him.
In mitigation, the couple asked the court for leniency, saying they were remorseful and apologised for their actions. However, Prosecutor Chikungwa opposed the plea, arguing that their actions had resulted in the loss of an innocent child’s life.
She urged the court to impose custodial sentences to serve as a deterrent to other motorists and would-be offenders.
In his ruling, Senior Resident Magistrate Muhammad Chande agreed with the state, observing that reckless driving was rampant in the district and that stiff penalties were necessary to deter similar offences.
The court sentenced Mposa to 18 months’ imprisonment for causing death by reckless driving. She was also fined K150,000 for driving an uninsured motor vehicle and K50,000 for driving without a valid licence, bringing her total fines to K200,000.
James was fined K400,000 for acting as an unregistered driving instructor and K180,000 for permitting an unlicensed person to drive, bringing his total fine to K580,000.
The court further ordered that the bereaved family receive K400,000 in compensation. Both have since paid their respective fines in cash, while Mposa is serving her custodial sentence.
Mposa hails from Bulayima Village, while James comes from Changamile 1 Village, both under Traditional Authority Chimwala in Mangochi District.
