Clement Terence Chiwaya (16 May 1971 – 30 September 2021) was a

Malawi Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast ...

an politician who served as an MP for Mangochi Central from 2004 to 2019. He was also Minister of Social Development and Persons with Disabilities from 2004 through 2005.

Biography

Clement Terence Chiwaya was born on 16 May 1971. His home village was Mpondasi, located in Mponda Traditional Authority (TA) area of

Mangochi District Dedza district is one of twelve Districts of Malawi, districts in the central region of Malawi. The capital is Mangochi, lilongwe. The district covers an area of 6,273 km.² and has a population of 610,239. The Mangochi District is a hub ...

. At the age of two, Chiwaya contracted

polio Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe s ...

and became

paraplegic Paraplegia, or paraparesis, is an impairment in motor or sensory function of the lower extremities. The word comes from Ionic Greek () "half-stricken". It is usually caused by spinal cord injury or a congenital condition that affects the neural ...

. He was raised by the Diocese of Mangochi due to his disability. In the late 1990s, Chiwaya found a

Calvin College Calvin University, formerly Calvin College, is a private Christian university in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Founded in 1876, Calvin University is an educational institution of the Christian Reformed Church and stands in the Reformed (Calvinist) ...

advertisement offering scholarships for students from Africa. In 1998, he flew to

Grand Rapids Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the ...

to enter the college, carrying

US$ The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

500. When he arrived, Calvin College admissions officers informed him that he would need to go back to Malawi and formally apply for the following year. Chiwaya then sought help from the

Diocese of Grand Rapids The Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids ( la, Dioecesis Grandcataractensis) is a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in western Michigan, in the United States. It comprises 80 parishes in 11 counties in West Michigan. It is a suffragan see to ...

; they arranged for his boarding and enrollment in

Aquinas College :''See also List of institutions named after Thomas Aquinas'' Aquinas College may refer to any one of several educational institutions: In Australia *Aquinas College, Perth, Roman Catholic boys' R–12 school *Aquinas College, Adelaide, residenti ...

. He completed his

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

at Aquinas College in 2002, with a double major in Community Leadership and Political Science. After returning to Malawi, Chiwaya entered politics as a member of the United Democratic Front (UDF) party. He was elected to the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...

from Mangochi Central in the 2004 general election, holding the seat for the UDF. He was appointed the first Minister of Social Development and Persons with Disabilities a week after the election, and continued in this position through 2005. Chiwaya was reelected in

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

and became the

Chief Whip The Chief Whip is a political leader whose task is to enforce the whipping system, which aims to ensure that legislators who are members of a political party attend and vote on legislation as the party leadership prescribes. United Kingdom ...

for the UDF. After winning a third term in

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, he became the Second Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly. In 2018, he decided not to run for another term. At the following election in 2019, his former seat was won by Victoria Kingston of the

Democratic Progressive Party The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is a Taiwanese nationalist and centre-left political party in the Republic of China (Taiwan). Controlling both the Republic of China presidency and the unicameral Legislative Yuan, it is the majori ...

. Chiwaya was appointed Minister of Persons with Disability and the Elderly in March 2020, serving until after the

presidential election A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The pre ...

in June.

Death

On 30 September 2021, Chiwaya killed himself after not receiving insurance from parliament to pay for damages to his car. His funeral was held in Mangochi Stadium on 2 October 2021, and he was buried in Mpondasi.

Electoral history

References

External links

Fighting stigma and social inequality: Dr. Clement Chiwaya at TEDxGrandRapids
(2014) {{DEFAULTSORT:Chiwaya, Clement 1971 births 2021 deaths 2021 suicides Members of the National Assembly (Malawi) Suicides by firearm in Malawi Politicians who died by suicide United Democratic Front (Malawi) politicians Aquinas College (Michigan) alumni Government ministers of Malawi Politicians with paraplegia Malawian people with disabilities People from Mangochi District Wheelchair users