Former Deputy Speaker of Malawi Fatally Shoots Himself Inside Parliament

A politician in Malawi fatally shot himself inside the country’s parliament building, authorities have said.

Clement Chiwaya, 50, died by suicide while inside Malawi’s National Assembly in the capital Lilongwe on Thursday. Chiwaya, who used a wheelchair, was a former deputy speaker of the assembly.

Catherine Gotani Hara, the current speaker, said that police in Malawi were investigating the incident and that the public would be updated at the appropriate time.

“The public is assured that parliament has the prerequisite equipment and security protocol for all visitors to the Parliament building,” she said in a written statement, adding that scanner alerts were deemed to be from Chiwaya’s wheelchair. “The public is further informed that following the incident, Parliament will enhance security measures of all categories of visitors to the Parliament building.”

In her statement, Gotani Hara said that Chiwaya was currently attempting to have parliamentary authorities pay for damages to his official government vehicle following an accident after he retired two years ago. A court ruling into Chiwaya’s claims was pending, Gotani Hara added.

If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues in this article, please contact Samaritans UK, either on email (jo@samaritans.org) or their 24-hour hotline (116 123). In the US, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) (En Español: 1-888-628-9454; Deaf and Hard of Hearing: 1-800-799-4889) or the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741.