• Malawi’s vice-president, Saulos Klaus Chilima, died at the age of 51 in a plane crash.
• In 2022, his powers were reduced amid corruption allegations.
• Chilima was expected to make a run for the presidency in 2025.

Dr Saulos Klaus Chilima, Malawi’s vice-president and a possible future leader of the country, died on Monday. 

He was 51.

Chilima and nine others died when their plane went down in central Malawi, President Lazarus Chakwera told the nation on Tuesday, more than 24 hours after the flight disappeared.

Everyone died on impact, said Chakwera.

He himself had used the same military plane on similar trips, Chakwera said.

“And yet, despite the track record of the aircraft and the experience of the crew, something terrible went wrong with that aircraft on its flight back to Lilongwe, sending it crashing down and killing everyone on board and leaving us all devastated and asking ourselves questions whose answers cannot take away the pain and helplessness we feel from this loss,” he said.

Also on board was Lukas Kapheni, Chisomo Chimaneni, Gloria Mtukule, Shanil Dzimbiri, Dan Kanyemba and Abdul Lapukeni.

The plane was operated by Colonel Sambalopa, Major Selemani and Major Aidin, of the Malawian Defence Forces.

‘A good man’

Chilima had a storied career, transitioning from the corporate sector into politics, where his career seemed to be at an end more than once.

READ | All killed on plane carrying Malawi’s vice president Saulos Klaus Chilima

On Tuesday, Chakwera paid tribute to someone he described as a dedicated family man and patriot.

“Dr Saulos Klaus Chilima was a good man, a devoted father and husband, a patriotic citizen who served his country with distinction, and a formidable vice-president. 

“I consider it one of the greatest honours of my life to have had him as my deputy and counsellor for the past four years,” he said.

Before entering politics, Chilima held prominent leadership roles in several multinational corporations, including Unilever, Coca-Cola and Airtel Malawi, where he eventually attained the post of chief executive officer.

His highest educational attainment was a PhD from the University of Bolton.

Chilima jumped from business sector straight into the office of vice-president, under Peter Mutharika, in 2014.

Mutharika wanted a young, industrious and energetic deputy, and lured Chilima into public administration. They later fell out, but Chilima refused to leave office. He became a critic of the government while acting as one of its top leaders – and potentially setting himself up for a presidential run in 2025.

Presidential race

In July 2018, Chilima launched his United Transformation Movement.

In February of the following year, he tried to lure former president Joyce Banda to join him in a coalition, but that fell flat. 

Later that year, he would contest the disputed presidential race, where he drew 20.24%, and earned four seats in Parliament.

With that election nullified and due to be repeated in 2020, Chilima formed a coalition with Chakwera’s Malawi Congress Party to dislodge Mutharika’s Democratic Progressive Party.

Mutharika and Chilima then became running mates of what came to be known as the Tonse Alliance.

Broken promises

Two years into power, the big-tent Tonse Alliance saw cracks widening amid failure to deliver on its promises.

The Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM), a grouping of Catholic bishops, in an open letter to the government of Chakwera, said “the much-touted promises of change are far from being realised”.

“The result seems to be a Malawi worse off than we were promised and looked forward to in a region where most of our neighbouring countries affected by the same challenges are registering meaningful human and economic progress.”

Corruption was high up on the ECM’s list of concerns.

With Chakwera and his deputy at loggerheads, the president would later reduce Chilima’s powers through suspending some of his delegated duties.

Chakwera also fired the police boss, George Kainja, among other senior civil servants.

The president alleged that Chilima and others were linked to collecting kickbacks from United Kingdom-based businessman, Zuneth Sattar, in exchange for government contracts.

At the time of his death, his supporters felt that he was being made the fall-guy by Chakwera.

They also felt that the search for the wreckage was poorly managed.

With the Tonse Alliance deal set to end in 2025, Chilima was expected to challenge for the presidency again.

The News24 Africa Desk is supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation. The stories produced through the Africa Desk and the opinions and statements that may be contained herein do not reflect those of the Hanns Seidel Foundation.