Election Stress Pushes PEA ‘Clement Chikankha’ to Attempt Suicide in Nkhoma Sewage
Published on September 19, 2025 at 9:39 AM by Evance Kapito
A 53-year-old election official is recovering in hospital after allegedly attempting to take his own life at Nkhoma sewage dam in Lilongwe on Thursday night.
Police have identified the official as Clement Chikankha, a Primary Education Advisor (PEA) from Chalera Village, Traditional Authority Kaphuka in Dedza District. He was serving as a Constituency Returning Officer (CRO) for the ongoing 2025 Tripartite General Elections at Nkhoma.
According to the report, Chikankha phoned his colleague Mr. Donnex Kunthani, 37, an Assistant Centre Coordinator at Nkhoma TDC, around 10 p.m. and confessed that he had “failed to deliver well” in his election duties. He then informed Kunthani that he planned to end his life by throwing himself into the sewage dam.
Alarmed, Kunthani and others rushed to the dam where they found Chikankha struggling in the water. They managed to rescue him and rushed him to Nkhoma Mission Hospital, where he is currently admitted in a stable but fair condition.
Police in Lilongwe have opened a case of attempted suicide and confirmed the matter is under investigation.
