LILONGWE, Malawi – A former vice president of Malawi has committed suicide in parliament in the capital Lilongwe, authorities said.
Clement Chiwaya, who uses a wheelchair, visited the building on Thursday to discuss the vehicle benefits he was entitled to when he left office two years ago.
Parliament “regrets to inform the public that the former vice-president (…) committed suicide in the parliament building,” he said in a statement.
“The incident is related to frustration with the implementation of its terms of service.”
Chiwaya, 50, bought his official vehicle at the end of his five-year term in 2019, as per his contract. But he had tried to make Parliament pay for the damages suffered in an accident six months later.
“The Honorable Chiwaya was involved in an accident while using the vehicle he had purchased. Unfortunately the comprehensive insurance had expired at the time of the accident,” reads the notice from Parliament.
Police spokesman James Kadadzera confirmed Thursday’s incident but declined to give details until he receives a full report from investigators.
The parliament statement appeared to indicate that Chiwaya had secretly smuggled a gun into the high-security building.
“Because this was a disabled person, the [security] scanner alerts were assumed to come from the wheelchair,” the statement said.
“Following the incident, Parliament will strengthen security measures for all categories of visitors to the Parliament building.”
A source in parliament told AFP that Chiwaya shot himself in the head in the office of parliamentary secretary Fiona Kalembera.
Before becoming vice-president, Chiwaya had been an MP since 2004.
