Malawi’s former deputy speaker of parliament commits suicide

LILONGWE, Sept. 30  — Former deputy speaker of Malawi’s parliament, Clement Chiwaya, shot himself dead Thursday morning at the Parliament Building in the capital, Lilongwe, authorities have confirmed.

Chiwaya reportedly shot himself in the head with a pistol, in front of the country’s Clerk of Parliament, Fiona Kalemba.
A spokesperson for the parliament Ian Mwenye confirmed the incident to the local media, calling it “unfortunate.”
A note that has gone viral on social media and is believed to have been authored by Chiwaya before the incident, indicates that the former deputy speaker had issues with the parliament concerning a change of ownership of a government vehicle which Chiwaya was using but he later bought.

On May 31, the county’s Office of the Ombudsman ruled in favor of Chiwaya on the case and ordered parliament to have everything concerning the change of ownership of the vehicle done by June 30.
The Ombudsman also ordered parliament to compensate the former deputy speaker “for the injustice occasioned” by July 31.

In his purported suicide note, however, the former deputy speaker accused the parliament of ignoring him despite his persistent queries on the matter.

Chiwaya, who lived with the post-polio condition and used a wheelchair all his life, rose to stardom as a powerful politician when he won a parliamentary seat in the country’s 2004 election and remained a legislator for 15 years.
He was also regarded as an ambassador for people with disabilities and a source of inspiration following his successful political career.

Chiwaya reached the apex of his political career when he was appointed as the second deputy speaker of the parliament in 2014, a post he held up to 2019.  – Xinhua