Martyrs’ families get K915 million consolation

The government has said it has given 61 families whose relatives were killed on March 3 1959 money amounting to K915 million as consolation.

It says each family would get K15 million.

This was disclosed Monday during this year’s Martyrs’ Day commemorations in Nkhata Bay District.

President Lazarus Chakwera presided over the event.

Chakwera said he instructed the ministries of Local Government, Unity and Culture and Justice to work together in identifying families across the country for consolation.

He said while the families have been pushing for compensation from the British government, the Malawi Government was duty-bound to take care of the families as their relations suffered for the sake of the country’s prosperity.

“I am happy that, today, we have managed to give the families this consolation for the death of their relatives during that day…,” he said.

In his remarks, Local Government, Unity and Culture Minister Richard Chimwendo Banda said all the 61 families would be consoled by the end of this week.

Since 2005, the families have been pushing for compensation from the British government, claiming that they are living in poverty.

According to Chimwendo Banda, the consolation exercise would be finalised on Wednesday and Thursday this week in the Southern and Central Region, respectively.

Chimwendo Banda—who said this was the ninth time for Chakwera to patronise the event, including when he was the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament— said Chakwera was also a martyr in the sense that he had laid development projects in every district of the country.

He cited investments in infrastructure, education, agriculture, health, among other sectors.

“Even if people confuse this for a political speech, the reality is that the President is doing it. I have mentioned the M1 Road, Mzuzu Library, don’t we have this? We do… Chakwera is laying a good foundation for the people of Malawi,” he said.

Senior Chief Mkumbira suggested constant supply of maize to Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation depots in the district to avert hunger.

He wondered how food prices continued to rise at local markets when most of them were locally produced.

A representative of bereaved families, James Thawe, described Chakwera as a tolerant and loving leader.

He asked the President to grant them an audience so that they could thank him for the gesture.

In his remarks, UTM president Dalitso Kabambe, who spoke in an interview after the event, said after Malawi got its freedom, “what remains is economic liberation”.

The climax of the commemoration, which was held under the theme ‘Martyrs: The Great Model of Patriotism’, was a prayer service which was led by Bishop Fanuel Magangani of the Anglican Diocese of Northern Malawi.

During the prayer session, the clergy prayed for Malawi’s economic stability, peaceful general elections, peace and good governance, among other things.

Before the service of worship, Chakwera laid a wreath at Kakumbi Cemetery.

Wreaths-laying was followed by another session of laying of wreaths at a memorial pillar at Nkhata Bay Boma.

Apart from Chakwera, others who laid wreaths at the Memorial Pillar were Speaker of the National Assembly Catherine Gotani Hara, Chief Justice Rizine Mzikamanda, Commander of the Malawi Defence Force Paul Valentino Phiri and Inspector General of Police Merlyn Yolamu.

Others were representatives of bereaved families Dorothy Chirwa and James Thawe, Secretary to the President and Cabinet Colleen Zamba and Leader of the Opposition in Parliament George Chaponda.