Chikaonda body arrives Saturday, burial Sunday
The body of former Cabinet minister and corporate executive Mathews Chikaonda, who died on October 30 in United States of America (USA), is expected to be flown in tomorrow at noon through Kamuzu International Airport in Lilongwe.
In a statement yesterday, Chief Secretary in the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) Lloyd Muhara said the remains of the former corporate executive will be taken to his residence in Area 43 for a brief ceremony before proceeding to Tembetembe Village, Traditional Authority Kachindamoto, Mtakataka in Dedza.
The statement said the funeral ceremony is expected to start at noon on Sunday followed by a burial ceremony, with full military honours, at Tembetembe Village.
Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Samuel Tembenu will represent President Peter Mutharika at the ceremony, according to the statement.
In his lifetime, Chikaonda once served as Reserve Bank of Malawi (RBM) governor from 1995 before a brief stint as Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development following his appointment in 2000.
In April 2012, Chikaonda—who is survived by a wife and three children—was appointed Malawi Stock Exchange (MSE)-dual listed Press Corporation Limited plc group chief executive officer, a position he held until his retirement in December 2016.
Born on August 8 1954, Chikaonda held a doctor of philosophy (PhD) in finance from the University of Massachusets, USA, a master of business administration (MBA) from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania; bachelor of arts degree from the Council for National Academic Awards at Huddersfield University in the United Kingdom and a diploma in business administration from The Polytechnic, a constituent college of the University of Malawi.
He also served as a professor of finance at Memorial University of Newfoundland in Canada between 1988 and 1994 before his appointment as RBM deputy governor in 1994.
