Tag Archives: Lester Maganga

Witika’s family demands fresh inquest as Kumkuyu faces imminent arrest

BLANTYRE-(MaraviPost)-The family of the late Allan Witika, who was tragically murdered during the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) regime, is calling for a renewed investigation into his death amid recent developments involving the arrest of nine individuals linked to the MCP.

Verifiable reports indicate that these arrests have shed new light on the circumstances surrounding Witika’s murder, with allegations pointing towards the involvement of Moses Kumkuyu and his close aide.

Sources close to the family reveal that they are planning to engage the police once the newly appointed Minister of Homeland Security, Peter Mukhitho, and his Deputy responsible for operations, Norman Chisale, are sworn in.

The family is eager to meet with the authorities and officially request a fresh inquest into Witika’s death, which they believe was orchestrated under the instructions of Kumkuyu.

“I attended a meeting where the family expressed their determination to seek justice.
They are waiting for the new security leadership to be sworn in before they proceed,” said a close ally of the family.

The investigation into Witika’s murder is gaining renewed momentum as more details emerge from ongoing police operations.

High Court clears Lester Maganga in Witika murder charges

LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-The High Court in Lilongwe on Wednesday, July 23, 2025 delivered a verdict in the case of Lester Maganga, who was suspected of murdering Allan Witika, a Coca-Cola employee found dead in Area 15, Lilongwe.

Contrary to public expectations, the court found Maganga has no case to answer regarding Witika’s murder.

However, he does have a case to answer for possessing live ammunition not intended for his pistol.

Allan Witika, a Coca-Cola employee, was found dead in his company car in Area 15, Lilongwe, on September 20, 2023.

Lester Maganga, personal assistant to Minister of Information Moses Kunkuyu, was arrested and charged with murder.

Maganga pleaded not guilty to the murder charge, and the case has undergone several hearings, with the prosecution presenting evidence.

The court’s decision on the ammunition charge is still pending, and Maganga’s legal team will likely respond to the allegations.

More to come….

Wittika murder case: Suspect Maganga to remain on remand till Feb 13

LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-The High Court in Lilongwe on Tuesday, January 23, 2024, ruled that the suspect Lester Maganga in the Allan Wittika murder case should remain in custody at Maula Prison waiting for the commencement of trial on February 13, 2024.

Judge Mzondi Mvula also said that bail application will be dealt with concurrently with the trial to speed up things.

Said Mvula, “All things being equal, the court shall hear the case over 14 days. Trial in this matter shall commence on Tuesday, February 13, 2024.”

Meanwhile, Maganga has pleaded not guilty to two counts levelled against him in court.

The first count is that of murder which is contrary to Section 209 of the Penal Code while the second one is that of being found in possession of ammunition without permission.

Judge Mvula read out the charges to Maganga.

The suspect Maganga, who happened to be Personal Assistant (PA) to Information Minister Moses Kunkuyu is suspected to have killed Coca-Cola Manager Wittika over a woman, both fell in love with.

Wittika murder case: Suspect Lester Maganga to remain on remand for 90 days

    

LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-The late Allan Witika’s murder suspect Lester Maganga will remain in police custody for the next three months until the law enforcers complete investigations.

This follows the High Court Judge Mzondi Mvula’s verdict on Thursday by turning down Maganga’s bail application who is being accused of murdering Coca-Cola Beverages Sales Manager Wittika.

Justice Mvula observed that there is a need to allow the State to exhaust its investigations within 90 days from the day Maganga was arrested as permitted by the law.

“It has been argued that the accused is well travelled, well connected with ‘the powers that be’ which he can use to interfere with the witnesses and investigation processes,” said Mvula.

Maganga

He finalized reading his ruling with a clear order, saying: “Let it be known that I shall remand in custody Lester Maganga on these terms. That’s my order!”

Last month, Maganga through his lawyer Innocent Kubwalo submitted a bail application saying the suspect has the right to it regardless of what crime he is being suspected to have committed.

However, the development means that Maganga will continue to be at Maula prison where he has been remanded up until after 90 days when the court says he could then be eligible for bail after applications.

The court has since advised the state to conclude its investigations of the matter by January 23, 2024, as the resumption of the hearing of the case is slated for January 24 next year.

Maganga is Information Minister Moses Kunkuyu’s Personal Assistant (PA).

Wittika murder: Court sustains four women bail condition in Information Minister Kunkuyu defamation case

BLANTYRE-(MaraviPost)-The Chief Resident Magistrate’s court in Blantyre on Wednesday, November 1, 2023, denied varying bail conditions for four individuals who are answering cyberbullying and defamation of character charges.

The four appeared before the court yesterday following their arrest last week after they allegedly recorded a voice note and shared it with the general public.

The WhatsApp Voice Note (VN) concerning investigations into the death of Coca-Cola Beverages employee Allan Wittika.

VN alleges that Information Minister Moses Kunkuyu hired his Personal Assistant (PA) Lester Maganga to kill Wittika for going out with (Kunkuyu’s lover, Second Wife)-MG2.

But Police cleared Kunkuyu for being linked to Wittika’s murder with warning to arrest anyone invoiced in circulation hence the arrest of the four women.

The four suspects including police officer Susan Kachinga Chinyati, Mercy Chiligo, Chipiliro Kalima, and Symon Kaphale, through their lawyer Colins Banda, wanted the court to allow them to make appearances at police South West Region offices once a month and not every Tuesday as is currently the case.

The four said this is proving an inconvenience to other businesses that they conduct, but Chief Resident Magistrate Chisomo Msokera has denied their application.

Meanwhile, the state has asked to be given two weeks to conclude its investigations.

The case has since been adjourned to December 08, 2023.

However, Wittika’s murder suspect Maganga remains in remand paving for bail conditions.

Police officer Susan Kachinga interdicted for linking Information Minister Kunkuyu to Witika murder case

BLANTYRE-(MaraviPost)-The Inspector General (IG) of Police, Merlyn Yolamu has interdicted Sub-Inspector Susan Kachinga over libel, contrary to Section 200 of the penal code pending an investigation.

Kachinga was arrested alongside two other women for allegedly circulating false news on social media, which linked Information Minister Moses Kunkuyu to the murder of a Coca-Cola beverage company manager Allan Witika.

In a wireless message sent to the police leadership and stations across the country, Yolamu says Kachinga will proceed with interdiction on full pay.

The circulated WhatApp Voice Note (VN), alleges that Information Minister Kunkuyu sent his Personal Assistant (PA) Lester Maganga to kill the late Witika for going out with his (Kunkuyu) lover (Second wife-MG2).

Maganga eventually executed the assignment by killing Witika on September 20, 2023, in Area 15 in the capital Lilongwe.

After a month of a manhunt, Malawi Police arrested Maganga after confessing to having killed the late Witika for the same reasons Kunkuyu is being linked to.

Following WhatsApp VN, the law enforcers disputed the allegations against Kunkuyu with a warning to arrest anyone behind the circulation.

Kachinga and the other two women were arrested for cyberbullying charges and were later released on bail.

Meanwhile, the case of the three women returns before Blantyre Chief Resident Magistrate Chisomo Msokera today, Wednesday, November 1.

However, the suspect in the Witika murder case, Maganga remains on police remand as the state pleaded with the court for three months of detention to conclude the investigation.

Of the devastating murder of Allan Witika

Allan Wittika was found dead, lying in a pool of blood in his car in Lilongwe on 20 September 2023 and we were left discussing as to what really happened on that particular day. It was a jigsaw puzzle that needed solving so we tried putting pieces of guess work together.

This case is not just about a tragic loss of life or a crime of passion. It has equally dragged in the kingdom of politics, with Information Minister Moses Kunkuyu being mentioned as the masterminder. The arrest of Maganga has led to speculations about the potential implication of his political executive.

However, the Malawi Police Service has said that there are no investigations linking the minister to any cases under their careful examination.

Fear
Every Malawian living in the country, except for a few insane party zealots who defended everything in their greatest effort, was gripped with fear on the day Alan Witika got killed. It was a ruthless murder that froze people to the spine. Fears resulted from trauma, others have a different thought entirely, they thought there was a loss of security control. Still, other fears occurred in a number of different ways.

Insecurity
Many Malawians felt insecure and wondered whether the state was providing the much needed security. Some civil society organizations expressed their concerns but the Minister of Homeland and Security, Ken Zikhale Ng’oma, saw it the other way round. He chose to differ that the death of three people at that time could not be considered as security lapse in the country. Unfortunately, that did not go well with many people and I am among those people who disliked this response as well because it sounded empty and rude.

Precautions
Precautions were taken by almost everyone following this security challenge. Safety measures included adjustments of home time arrivals from late night hours to early hours and avoiding short cuts.

The next victims
It was very worrisome as to who would be the next victim so everyone felt vulnerable and potential victim. People were terrified of this state of affairs.

The future
The future remained bleak and scary. It was generally believed that a similar situation would repeat itself as nobody knew exactly who was involved in the killing. I didn’t see a safe and secure community either.

Intentions
We kept speculating the intentions behind the murder of Alan. Several equations were worked out , however, they were all precise and non of them was considered to be off track. Every opinion was seriously taken into account.

Conspiracy
The manner in which Witika died shows there was a conspiracy. This murder including other cases that took place within a short space of time is an indication that there’s something fishy happening.

Questions
How was Alan Witika tracked during the early hours between 06:00 and 07:00 hours from home and killed while driving his own car? How was he shot without gunshot sounds to alarm the people living around Area 15?

This appears practically impossible and the mission was probably done by an expert killer with special training. Now this brings me to believe the circulating news on social media that we have foreign armed forces in the country from Rwanda. If this is true, why is government doing all this?

The arrest
The arrest of the suspect in this murder case came as a surprise when I heard that he was personal aide to the Information Minister. Your guess is just as good as mine when this twist of events came in the limelight.

Then came those audios which circulated on social media but I told some people that the President would not say nor do anything to his cabinet Minister Moses Kunkuyu. I challenged people to wait for a week and see if the President was going to say or do anything about it. Let alone a speech and today it’s exactly one week gone. The State President still hasn’t said or done anything . Maybe he is right, maybe he is wrong, maybe it’s the rule of law.

All I have seen is the arrest of the author of the audio for cyber bullying and another CID officer who was mentioned for leaking information to politicians, probably for misconduct and whatever case it might be.

This scenario of arresting some people for cyber bullying has created yet another twist and confusion to the people who are following the matter. Another interesting question is: who is being offended and who needs protection from the law?

Conclusion
Malawi Police arrested a 29-year-old man identified as Lester Maganga on suspicion that he killed Allan Wittika on 20 September 2023 following a fight over a woman.

Wittika, who was an employee of Coca-Cola Beverages, was found dead lying in a pool of blood with head wounds in his car at Area 15 in Lilongwe last month. The first Police report did not indicate the degree of these wounds. The second version of this murder car suggests that Witika was shot with a gun in the mouth according to social media reports.

I have problems with the Malawi Police Service why they failed to explain or suggest that he had been shot with a gun. Couldn’t they see this during their investigations or they haven’t seen anything like this before? This is where I am suspicious of thinking that Malawi Police is trying to protect someone behind the scenes of this crime.

However, the death of Alan Witika is still surrounded by many assumptions which could be true or false now or later.

The truth of the matter is that there’s a conspiracy leading to the murder of Witika. No matter how long it takes, the truth shall prevail!

Malawi Police arrest three women over WhatsApp VN linking Information Minister Kunkuyu to Wittika murder case

LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-The Malawi Police Service (MPS) is keeping in custody three women for suspected sharing WhatsApp Voice Note (VN) purportedly linking Information Minister Moses Kunkuyu to the Allan Wittika murder case

According to National Police publicist Peter Kalaya, the three were arrested on Monday, October 23, 2023, in Blantyre and Lilongwe.

Kalaya has identified the suspects as Mercy Chiligo, Chipiliro Kalima and Inspector Susan Kachinga (Police Officer).

“MPS has charged the three with Cyber Bullying and Defamation of Character which are crimes under the Electronic Transactions and Cyber Security Act and Penal Code, respectively and they will be taken to court in Blantyre soon after their statements are taken,” Kalaya said.

In the circulated WhatsApp VN in our possession alleges that Information Minister Kunkuyu sent his Personal Assistant (PA) Lester Maganga to kill the late Wittika for going out with (Kunkuyu’s) lover, Second wife (MG2).

According to WhatsApp VN, Maganga executed the deal by killing Wittika as instructed by his boss Kunkuyu.

After months of investigation, someone in the Ministry of Information handed over the notice of Maganga’s involvement in Wittika’s murder hence his arrest on Friday, October 20, 2023.

On Monday, the Malawi Police Service (MPS) issued a warning statement to those circulating false information linking Kunkuyu to Wittika’s murder while clearing the minister in the case.

Kunkuyu who is in President Lazarus Chakwera’s Tonse Alliance government cabinet and Malawi Congress Party (MCP) senior member has not come out on the allegation.

Meanwhile, Kunkuyu’s PA Maganga is still in custody after appearing before court on Monday for murder charges on Wittika.

The state wants Maganga to remain on police cell remand for three months to complete investigations on the matter.

State pleads for Lester Maganga’s three-month cell remand in Wittika murder case

LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-The Lilongwe Senior Resident Magistrate Wanangwa Nyirenda on Monday, October 23, 2024, committed the Murder Case involving Lester Maganga to the High Court.

Maganga, 29, is suspected to have killed Allan Witika, a former Sales Manager for Coca-Cola Beverages Company.

Speaking when the accused, appeared in court, Senior Resident Magistrate Wanangwa Nyirenda said the High Court will hear the case and other applications since the lower court has no such powers.

Maganga being taken to Court

On his part, State Prosecutor, Davison Banda, asked the court to keep the accused on remand for 90 days to allow thorough investigations.

But Innocent Kubwalo, a lawyer representing the accused, told the court that he would file an application for bail at the High Court.

The court is expected to make discretion whether to keep the accused on remand for 90 days or not.

Malawi Police arrested Maganga on Friday, October 20, 2023, after preliminary investigations revealed that he quarreled with the deceased after discovering that they were dating the same woman.

The late Wittika was found dead in the backseat of his motor vehicle in Area 15, Lilongwe on Wednesday, September 20, 2023.

Police say the deceased had cuts on the head and his body was covered with the vehicle’s floor mats.

The suspect, Maganga is a Personal Assistant (PA) to Information Minister Moses Kunkuyu in President Lazarus Chakwera’s Tonse Alliance government.

Information Minister Kunkuyu’s PA Lester Maganga arrested in Coca-Cola Manager Allan Witika’s murderer

LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-Malawi Police Service is keeping in custody a 29-year-old man in connection to the murder of a Coca-Cola Manager Allan Witika murdered.

The late Witika murderer was found dead in a car along Gogo Jenara Street, Area 15 in the capital Lilongwe last month.

National Police deputy publicist Alfred Chinthere has confirmed the arrest of Lester Maganga.

According to Chinthere, the suspect committed the crime after noticing that the deceased was going out with his girlfriend.

Chinthere told The Maravi Post that Maganga will appear in court this coming week.

The suspect hails from Chikumbu village, Traditional Authority (T.A) Chikumbu in Mulanje District.

This publication understands that Maganga is a Personal Assistant (PA) to Information Minister Moses Kunkuyu in President Lazarus Chakwera’s Tonse Alliance government.

More to come…