By Durell Namasani
Judge Annabel Mtalimanja has granted the State an order of inquest into the death of former Director of Criminal Investigations Department at the Malawi Police Service, Bob Mtekama.
Mtekama, who died in August 2020, was at the centre of investigations into several high profile cases, including the 2014 death of Anti-Corruption Bureau Director of Corporate Affairs, Issa Njauju.
The State, through the office of Director of Public Prosecutions, had asked the High Court to grant the order to establish the cause of his death though reports indicate it was due to Covid-19.
Renowned Crime Buster, Bob Mtekama died at Adventist hospital in Blantyre but his death is shrouded by suspicion and foul play.Mtekama was admitted to the hospital with diabetes and died mysteriously and his family believes that he was poisoned.No postmortem was done.
The police through National spokesperson, James Kadadzera issued a press release claiming that Bob Mtekama had died of Covid-19 which the family trashed as a blatant lie and a cover up.
Mtekama’s young brother, Majido Mtekama told the local paper: “It is not true that Bob died of Covid-19. Someone is trying to cover up something. It is a lie, Bob never tested for coronavirus because if he did, he would have been sent to a quarantine centre and not be allowed in a communal room in the hospital.
“The death report never indicated anything about Covid, it said Bob died of a kidney failure and diabetes, which can be disputed as there was no autopsy done, for reasons best known to the police.
Majido Mtekama said that “a mysterious man who sneaked into Bob’s hospital room at 04:00 am” and when they approached him to ask him what he was doing in Bob’s room at such ungodly hour he told them he was a police officer from the welfare and that he was sent by the commissioner.
“When pressed as to why he came at that time, the man ran off and vanished and after that Bob who had improved and was due to be discharged deteriorated and died later in the day. All we want is justice for Bob. We know there is nothing that will bring him back but we only rest after knowing who killer our brother,” he said.
Bob Mtekama was tasked to handle all the high-profile cases, which included the mysterious death of ACB’s Issa Njaunju, Buleya Lule, Robert Chasowa and Kalonga Stambuli, among others.
