Grandmother, Others arrested over Kasungu albino murder

By Wanangwa Tembo

Kasungu, Mana: Police in Kasungu District have arrested three people in connection with the brutal killing of a 3-year-old girl with albinism in the deep night of Wednesday, November 30, 2022.

The three, Joyce Nkhoma, 40, Cosmas Divala Ngwira, 46 and Kennedy Nyirenda, 28 are suspected to have killed 3-year-old Talandira Chirwa before chopping off her arm at Mawawa Village in Senior Chief Chulu’s area in the district.

The young girl with albinism was hacked to death while sleeping beside her 40-year-old grandmother, identified as Joyce Nkhoma, now in police custody.

Following the incident, police instituted investigations that led to the arrest of the suspects.

The three have since been charged with murder, contravening Section 209 of the Penal Code and will appear before the court soon to answer the charge. Meanwhile, investigations continue to trace the chopped arm.

According to Police, the attacker(s) broke into the house where the girl was sleeping with her grandmother and hacked her on the neck before chopping off her arm and running away with it, leaving the girl in a pool of blood.

On Friday, a day before the arrest of the suspects and two days after the brutal incident, senior police officers and Malawi Human Rights Commission officials arrived at Mawawa Village where the 3-year-old Chirwa was murdered.

This was the day the Social Welfare crew from Kasungu District Office was fortifying Talandira’s grave with concrete. A team of police officers was led by Police Commissioner for Central East Headquarters, Noel Kaira while MHRC officials were led by Commissioner Boniface Massa to the area.

Speaking to the funeral gathering, Massa said the Commission was shocked that the brutal killings of people with albinism have resurfaced after a supposedly two-year period of quietness.

“The past two years have been a bit quiet. That is why we are shocked to learn that these cruelties have started again.

“We will get serious with our investigations because we will never see this child again. This child could have grown up to independence like me but she is no more. We will ensure that justice is done,” said Massa.

He explained that the purpose of their visit in the area was to support investigations, saying as an independent human rights institution, whenever they receive a report of a threat of life, their response is through investigations.

“Our mission is to assess and investigate the reports we saw through social media and from police,” said the MHRC Commissioner.

While calling for speedy and quality investigation on the murder, Massa said his team would ensure that justice on the matter is done while making sure suspects are not tortured in the course of their trial.

While acknowledging the many efforts by stakeholders to curb the killings of people with albinism, Massa called for more concerted efforts, especially from government and security agents including chiefs to curb the vice.

“There was an attempt to abduct a person with albinism in Phalombe recently. There was another attempt made in Zomba. This is shocking because we are sliding back to the pattern of 2014/2015.

“This is why we are calling upon government to intensify community policing, carry out speedy investigations and trials. There must be continuous leadership and coordination in response to the killings,” the MHRC commissioner said.

He further urged stakeholders for consistent momentum in terms of awareness raising and interventions to curb the vice.

“The case we had today points to the fact that not much has been done in assessing the housing for people with albinism. Housing is an immediate security provision we can provide to people with albinism,” he stressed.

Massa also called for strengthened engagement among stakeholders, saying the patterns of killings show that parents are involved.

“We want to see the state to show serious leadership in response to the killing of people with albinism and urgency in interventions by, for example, funding of the National Action Plan through which there could be a response in terms of housing and rehabilitation of survivors of the attacks and also psychosocial support for families,” Massa appealed.

Commissioner of Police for Central East, Noel Kaira, assured the gathering that the law enforcers would carry out speedy and meaningful investigations to bring the culprits to justice.

“When we heard about this, we had to rush and visit the place ourselves because we take this seriously,” said Kaira, adding that it was not common to have the police speak at a funeral.

“We are speaking today to condole you and at the same time assure you that the issue is in our hands and we are going to conduct speedy investigation to bring the culprits to justice,” assured the Police Commissioner.

Born on August 4, 2019, Talandira was staying with her grandmother, Joyce Nkhoma, after her parents had divorced.

According to Village Headman Mawawa, Nkhoma took Talandira and relocated to a smaller house within the compound, leaving her husband alone in the bigger house where they used to stay.

In under a week after this relocation, the assailant broke into the seemingly less secure hut and killed the girl.

Nkhoma was immediately arrested following the circumstances in which the child was killed while the girl’s father, Joseph Chirwa, 30, was also picked for questioning two days later.

While condemning the murder, Senior Chief Chulu described the incident as horrific and first of its kind in her area.

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