A High Court in Malawi has found five people guilty of murdering and trading in the body parts of MacDonald Masambuka – an albino man.
Masambuka went missing in February 2018 and when his body was discovered a month later, the legs and arms had been severed. They were also guilty for the murder of a former Roman Catholic priest, a police officer and a hospital clinician.
The 22-year-old man had albinism, which is pronounced in the pigment of his skin, eyes, and hair colour. Catholic Priest Father Thomas Muhosha, Police Officer Chikondi Chileka, deceased’s biological brother Kassim White Masambuka and Machinga district Clinical Officer Lumbani Kamanga are among the persons convicted on different charges such as murder, causing someone to commit a crime, causing another person to harm a person, transacting human tissues and transacting business on human tissues among 7 counts leveled against them.
Presiding over the judgement at Blantyre High Court, Judge Dorothy Nyakaunda Kamanga found all the suspects guilty based on evidence brought by State Prosecution team.
In the past few years, Malawi has experienced gruesome attacks and killings of persons with albinism, fuelled by false claims that concoctions mixed with their body parts bring luck and wealth.
Official statistics, says more than 170 albinos have been killed or maimed in the past 10 years.
The convictions at the High Court in Blantyre are the first of prominent members of society linked to such attacks. They are to be sentenced on May, 31 2022.