By Chisomo Phiri
Former Malawi Defence Force (MDF) Commander General Paul Valentino Phiri has asked the Parliamentary Ad-hoc Committee investigating the Chikangawa plane crash that killed former vice-president Saulos Chilima and eight others on June 10,2024 to summon current Inspector General of Police Richard Luhanga to explain his role in the search and rescue operation of the plane crash.
Phiri told the committee on Tuesday September 22,2026 that Luhanga, who was then the Commissioner of Police responsible for the Northern Region, should provide important information about the search for the Dornier aircraft that crashed in the Chikangawa Forest in Mzimba.
He also recommended that MDF officers who were among the first to reach the crash site should testify before the committee and explain how they located the wreckage, found the bodies and handled other matters at the scene.
According to Phiri, he was informed that a team of MDF soldiers discovered the crash site, with their discovery coinciding with that of a team of police officers.
Valentino testifying
Phiri said it is important for the committee to carefully assess witnesses before they appear before it, arguing that some people are taking advantage of the inquiry to gain publicity.
He said witnesses should be properly scrutinised, including establishing whether they are Malawian citizens before they give evidence.
He said he has full hope that the inquiry will finally provide Malawians with reliable information about what happened, rather than leave the public relying on rumours that circulated during last year’s election campaign.
Phiri also told the committee that he had no disagreement or bad relationship with Chilima.
He said they knew each other from several places, including a Catholic church in Area 18 in Lilongwe where they worshipped.
He said he respected Chilima because of his position as vice-president and because of their previous interactions.
On the circumstances surrounding the search, Phiri said the MDF approved the aircraft as being fit to fly before it took off on June 10, 2024.
He said the initial search was complicated because information from the tower did not provide a precise location of the missing aircraft.
According to Phiri, a mobile phone belonging to one of the people aboard the aircraft was detected by the Airtel tower at Raiply in Chikangawa at about 1:15pm on the day the aircraft disappeared.
He said the detection of the phone helped redirect the search towards the area where the aircraft was eventually found.
He said without the phone signal, the search could take much longer, potentially exposing the victims’ bodies to decomposition or animals.
Phiri further said that, before the phone signal was detected at the Raiply tower, there were plans to search towards Ekwendeni because authorities did not know the aircraft’s exact location.
He also rejected reports that MDF soldiers fired guns at the crash site.
Phiri said soldiers were required to account for every round of ammunition issued to them and that no ammunition was used by MDF personnel at Chikangawa during the search operation.
He said losing ammunition is considered a serious offence within the MDF and attracts severe disciplinary consequences.
Phiri also addressed concerns about people living around the Nthungwa Forest who said were aware of the crash but did not immediately go to the site.
He told the committee that it is concerning that people who knew about the crash did not go to the scene to assist those affected, saying members of the surrounding communities could have helped in the immediate response.
On questions about the decisions made during the search operation, Phiri said the decisions were made the same even if the aircraft was carrying the president of the republic.
Phiri also defended the MDF against accusations that its officers were involved in wrongdoing surrounding the crash.
He said the MDF is a national institution made up of Malawians who are committed to serving the country and rejected what he described as misconceptions about the role of the military in the incident.
“Me and MDF are not enemies of the country. We are friends of the country and, as such, cannot advance evil intentions,” said Phiri.
He said he decided to clarify the MDF’s position because his previous appearance before the committee, together with comments and information circulating outside the inquiry, created an impression that the military acted improperly.
“I want people to understand that MDF is a friend of the people of this country. Those who join the MDF are somebody’s fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers. If our relatives join the institution, I do not believe that they can form a conspiracy against other people. I want to correct that picture,” he said.
Phiri urged committee members to approach their questioning without assuming that soldiers were involved in wrongdoing.
Phiri was also questioned about his decision to wear camouflage uniform during Chilima’s state funeral, despite military regulations generally requiring ceremonial dress for such occasions.
He explained that there was a reason for his choice and noted that the military officer who served as an aide-de-camp to then-president Lazarus Chakwera also wore camouflage on the occasion.
At the conclusion of his testimony, Phiri urged the committee to exercise caution when dealing with witnesses and warned against people giving false evidence for publicity.
Phiri appeared before the committee for the second time, with the latest appearance focusing on the search and rescue operation, the conduct of the MDF and issues surrounding the discovery of the aircraft.
