Remains of former Criminal Investigations Department (CID) director Bob Mtekama, who died on August 4 2020, were yesterday exhumed in Nkhotakota following a court order to conduct a post-mortem.

Ministry of Justice spokesperson Pirirani Masanjala confirmed to Weekend Nation the development and said results of the lab tests to be conducted by pathologist Dr. Charles Dzamalala and forensic expert Professor George Liomba are expected by mid-January 2023.

Presiding over the exhumation was High Court judge Patrick Chirwa who, when he was chief resident magistrate, in April ordered the exumation to allow experts to conduct a postmortem at the family’s request.

Speaking after the exercise, Masanjala said the State would wait for the results of the collected samples, adding that further tests may be conducted outside Malawi if the outcomes were inconclusive.

“We came here as per the order of the court in April. It had ordered that there should be exhumation, postmortem conducted and then the body be reburied right away. Thus far, the process has been done and we will wait for the results,” said Masanjala.

Family suspects foul-play in his death: Mtekama

He added that the technocrats have taken samples from liver, kidney, stomach and its contents, brain, heart and lungs.

The High Court of Malawi in August last year ordered an inquest into the death of the renowned detective after his family suspected foul-play.

Mtekama’s body was buried three days later in his home village Nkhono.

A statement from police indicated that he died at Blantyre Adventist Hospital after testing positive for Covid-19 and with an underlying condition of diabetes, but his family suspected foul play.

His body was taken for burial without healthcare workers as is the case with Covid-related deaths and was buried without following Covid-19 protocols.

Instead, local undertakers dressed in improvised personal protective equipment took charge of the burial, which was not accorded police honours.

The family claimed there were questionable events before and after his death, prompting DPP Steve Kayuni to ask the court to open the inquest.

The former top detective died while undertaking several high-profile investigations, including the multi-billion kwacha cement import deal and the 2014 murder of former Anti-Corruption Bureau director of corporate affairs Issa Njauju.

In September 2020, police instituted a probe to establish cause of death and former Inspector General of Police George Kainja, said the probe was instituted following speculation of foul-play in the death.

Mtekama studied criminal law at the University of Zanzibar and was the only Malawian police officer trained in forensic science by the University of Malawi’s College of Medicine. He was also trained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the US.

—Additional reporting by Davie Mchinga, Citizen Journalist.

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