By Chisomo Phiri
The government has been urged to swiftly implement the recommendations made by the Commission of Inquiry into the military plane crash that tragically claimed the lives of former Vice-President Saulos Chilima and eight others on June 10, 2024.
In a statement, governance commentator Undule Mwakasungula says it is important that the recommendations be implemented to address systemic gaps to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
“These recommendations include implementing policies and procedures, as well as enhancing the capacities of various government ministries and departments such as the Office of the President and Cabinet, the Army, Police, Civil Aviation, Health, and others.
“These lessons are important for safeguarding the lives of Malawians and ensuring such an incident does not happen again,” he says.
But Mwakasungula, however, says a notable gap in the report is the lack of a clear timeframe for implementing the recommendations.
He says without a defined timeframe, there is a risk of inaction, which could lead to a recurrence of similar tragedies.
“We must ensure that the lessons from this tragedy translate into swift and effective action to prevent history from repeating itself,” says Mwakasungula.
Presenting its investigation findings on Saturday last week,the 18-member Commission of Inquiry, established by Chakwera in late October, found that poor weather conditions, which affected navigation by the Malawi Defence Force (MDF) pilots, were the primary cause of the accident.