This archive report was first published on 30 September 2021.
Malawi's parliament was shocked by the tragic death of Clement Chiwaya, a 50-year-old former deputy speaker, who shot himself in the head inside the parliament building on Thursday, September 30, 2021.
According to a statement from parliament, Chiwaya had gone to the building for a meeting to discuss vehicle benefits entitled to him when he left office in 2019.
Police spokesperson James Kadadzera confirmed the incident but refused to give details until he had received a full report from investigators.
Parliament 'regrets to inform the public that the former deputy speaker... committed suicide at the parliament building,' it said in a statement.
The incident was linked to 'frustration with the implementation of his conditions of service,' the statement added.
Chiwaya had bought his official vehicle at the end of his five-year term in 2019, as provided for in his contract. However, he had tried to get parliament to pay for damages incurred in an accident that happened six months later.
He took the case to court, and the legal process is still pending.
A source at parliament told AFP that Chiwaya shot himself in the head inside the office of the clerk of parliament, Fiona Kalembera.
Before he became deputy speaker, he served as a member of parliament from 2004.
