Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, leader of Azimio, attended the funeral of Malawi’s late Vice President, Saulos Chilima, who tragically passed away in a plane crash on June 10th.
The funeral took place at the Bingu National Stadium, drawing thousands of mourners. Raila conveyed condolences on behalf of Kenyans and President William Ruto, highlighting Chilima’s commitment to Malawi’s progress and democracy.
“Kenyans stand with the people of Malawi at this very sad hour of the loss of our brother Chilima,” he said.
“I come here with a very deep heart and I speak on behalf of the people of Kenya. First, I want to convey the condolences from the President of Kenya, His Excellency William Ruto,” Raila added.
He said Chiliima was a young person with a promising life in the country.
Raila added that the Malawi vice president stood for the rights of the people of Malawi.
“He wanted to ensure that there is fairness and democracy in the division of the resources of the country.
He said Kenya shares in the grief of Malawi as a similar incident occurred in Kenya claiming the lives of General Francis Ogolla and other military officers.
He also expressed solidarity with Malawi, citing a similar incident in Kenya involving the loss of General Francis Ogolla and other military officers. Raila emphasized Pan-African unity and equitable access to global resources, advocating for a unified visa system to facilitate movement across the continent.
“I want to see a day when Africa, the richest continent on the planet Earth, will be able to speak with one voice and ensure that our people get the rightful share of the wealth of this Earth,” Raila said.
“We are not asking for charity, we are only asking for fairness in the international world markets. We want to see that Africans can add value to raw materials and that Africans are respected.”
He called for thorough investigations into the crash and praised Chilima’s transition from the private sector to politics, where he served as vice president since 2014.
