By Vincent Gunde
Political activist Bon Kalindo has urged the government to investigate what he describes as a worrying pattern in recent abduction cases, targeting people of Indian origin.
In an audio clip circulating online,Kalindo says apart from the recent case involving a British national of Indian origin, those abducted in the cases he referred to have largely been Indians, raising questions that he believes require thorough investigation by authorities.
Bon Kalindo
He says there are several unanswered questions surrounding the incidents and called on the government to move swiftly to establish why people of Indian origin appear to be the main targets.
Kalindo has also questioned the police response to the alleged abduction of the owner of Crossroads Hotel, saying authorities have remained silent on the action taken after the businessman was found.
The activist claims that if the hotel owner was abducted by a Malawian, the suspect would by now have been arrested and prosecuted, but suggests that the matter received a different treatment because the alleged perpetrator was an Indian.
Kalindo has also questioned the Malawi Police Service (MPS) over its K30 million reward for information leading to the location where a British national was being held after her abduction by unknown people.Kalindo said police had reported that two suspected kidnappers were shot, but questioned why their identities had not been disclosed.
He also says communities in the area where the British national was rescued are raising questions that need answers.
“You have been sending messages to our phones to help locate where the British national was being hidden. Show us the identities of those who were shot and how many they were,” he says.
Kalindo has appealed to the government to take cases of abduction seriously, warning that continued incidents will create concerns among visitors and investors about Malawi’s safety.
He has further called for thorough research into the people being targeted in abduction cases to establish whether there is a particular reason people of Indian origin are being targeted or whether, as he alleges, some of the incidents are being staged.
In the same audio clip, Kalindo has also criticised the government’s 2026/27 agricultural subsidy programme, warning that it will become a disaster if concerns being raised at community level are not addressed.
He says people are already complaining at Group Village Headman level that only two people are being registered as beneficiaries in some areas.
Kalindo further raises concerns over reports that beneficiaries will receive two bags of fertiliser but will be expected to mix the fertiliser with compost manure to produce enough for the equivalent of 10 bags.
He has called on the government to make fertiliser available universally for farmers to purchase, arguing that the subsidy programme has for long benefited politicians and party loyalists while leaving other farmers without adequate access to fertiliser.
Kalindo has also advised those advocating for former President Lazarus Chakwera to return to government in 2030 to abandon the idea, claiming that Malawians will no longer vote for him.
He says the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) should not expect support from Malawians in a future election and that if so only foreigners will vote for Chakwera.
