Widow of late former vice president Saulos Chilima, Mary, Wednesday launched the Saulos Klaus Chilima (SKC) Foundation, where she revealed that many people had approached her to join politics to continue her husband’s legacy.
She indicated, however, that she had declined these requests because she feels that politics is not her calling.
According to Mary, she believes that the late Chilima’s political ambitions will be fulfilled through the UTM party, which he founded in 2018.
“The party has my full blessing to realise his political manifesto in the best way they can. I knew Dr Saulos Chilima for 29 years and he was a politician for only 10 of those years.
“However, throughout those 29 years, there was one consistent trait that I observed and that was his desire to serve. He was dedicated to helping people, particularly those in need. He was actively involved in church work and he deeply loved his country,” Mary said.
She added that, throughout his career, Chilima had opportunities to relocate to other countries, but he chose to remain in Malawi, through thick and thin.
Mary further said that if the late Chilima were to speak to her now, he would advise her to take care of their children and the children of those who died alongside him in Chikangawa Forest, where the military plane they were flying in went down.
She added that she launched the foundation on what would have been Chilima’s birthday as a way of giving him the gift of perpetuity.
“In doing so, I want to ensure that the name of Dr Saulos Klaus Chilima remains unconquered, unvanquished and undefeated, both in life and in death,” Mary said.
She also indicated that the Saulos Klaus Chilima Foundation will become a vehicle to promote a change in mindset and contribute to the development of Malawi and Africa through excellence and innovation.
Among other initiatives, she said the foundation would promote and support education for underprivileged children through scholarships.
These scholarships, according to Mary, will initially be extended to the children who lost a parent in the plane crash that claimed the life of her husband.
She also mentioned that Chilima was a firm believer in changing mindsets and that the foundation would reach out to institutions of higher learning to embrace innovation and develop home-grown solutions to the challenges facing Malawi and Africa.
Mary then reiterated that she continues to mourn and seek convincing answers as to why her husband had to die under such tragic circumstances.
“There are still many unanswered questions regarding those 24 hours and so far, efforts to address these concerns have fallen short of being satisfactory.
“Despite that, I recognise that Dr Saulos Klaus Chilima now transcends earthly worries and that through this foundation, the legacy of Dr Saulos Chilima remains alive, unstoppable, unvanquished and undefeated,” she said.
During a memorial mass held for the late Chilima in July last year, a member of his family, Joshua Valera, also rebuked those who were reportedly pressing Mary to join politics, saying she was not interested in anything of that sort.
Rotary Club of Lilongwe President Robert Chikuse said that most foundations fail for a variety of reasons, including lack of vision and mission, financial mismanagement, inadequate leadership and governance as well as poor monitoring and evaluation of projects.
According to Chikuse, he is confident that the SKC Foundation will not fail, apparently because Chilima himself was a visionary person who stood against the very factors that contribute to the downfall of foundations, including financial mismanagement.
Chikuse said Chilima was an honorary member of Rotary Club and championed various projects that Rotary embarked upon.
He added that the work that the late vice president did in serving communities must be immortalised.
Chairperson of the organising committee for the launch, Boyd Luwe, stressed that the foundation is a non-political and non-partisan initiative and that its sole purpose is to support the vision and goals of the late Chilima.
“Any attempt to politicise the work of the foundation will be unfortunate and must be condemned in the strongest possible terms.
“We decided that this foundation had to be publicly launched so that everyone in the country could appreciate its mission, values and core objectives,” Luwe said.
Several dignitaries, including President Lazarus Chakwera, United Democratic Front leader Atupele Muluzi, business leaders and members of the diplomatic community, attended the launch.
Chilima and the eight others died when the aircraft they were aboard crashed on the Nkhata Bay side of Chikangawa Forest, while en route to the lakeshore district to attend the funeral of former Cabinet minister Ralph Kasambara, who had died three days earlier.
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