The Publicity secretary for The United Democratic party(UDF)Ken Ndanga and his partner in the case Hassan Kassim have been charged with three counts of murder in connection with the death of three members of the Tambala family following a UTM Party offices arson in May 2020.
The case was committed to the High court for trial by the Senior resident magistrate Florence Msekandiana committed the case to the High Court for trial after briefly reading the charges against the two accused persons.The three counts include the murder of Ajussa Tambala, the murder of Alice Tambala and the murder of Shakura Tambala. All the three were members of the same family.
The charges which were read in both English and Chichewa said both Ndanga and Kassim were responsible for the deaths. The charges however fell short of detailing the level of involvement by the two, which is normally expected to be contained in the formal charges to be pronounced when the trial begins in the High Court.
No senior UDF officials were seen at the court during the hearing of the top official of the party.
In the related development, Dyton Musa, Director of Youth in the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) who was arrested in connection with the same arson, has applied to the High Court for his immediate release on bail after the State failed to charge him alongside Ndanga, his lawyer Gilbert Khonyongwa said yesterday.
The three members of the Tambala family who were victims of the gloomy act were residing inside the UTM Party offices in Lilongwe’s Area 24. They died within hours and days of the arson attack on May 4 prior to the June 23 presidential election re-run.
