Saulos Chilima facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Saulos Chilima
|
|
|---|---|
Chilima in 2022
|
|
| 7th Vice President of Malawi | |
| In office 3 February 2020 – 10 June 2024 |
|
| President | Peter Mutharika Lazarus Chakwera |
| Preceded by | Everton Chimulirenji |
| Succeeded by | Michael Usi |
| In office 31 May 2014 – 31 May 2019 |
|
| President | Peter Mutharika |
| Preceded by | Khumbo Kachali |
| Succeeded by | Everton Chimulirenji |
| Minister of Economic Planning and Development | |
| In office 29 June 2020 – 10 June 2024 |
|
| President | Lazarus Chakwera |
| Preceded by | Position created |
| Succeeded by | Vacant |
| Minister of the Civil Service | |
| In office 31 May 2014 – 31 May 2019 |
|
| President | Peter Mutharika |
| Preceded by | Khumbo Kachali |
| Minister Responsible for Public Events and Disaster Management | |
| In office 31 May 2014 – 31 May 2019 |
|
| President | Peter Mutharika |
| Preceded by | Khumbo Kachali |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Saulos Klaus Chilima
12 February 1973 Ntcheu, Malawi |
| Died | 10 June 2024 (aged 51) Chikangawa Forest Reserve, Malawi |
| Cause of death | Plane crash |
| Political party | Tonse Alliance United Transformation Movement (UTM) |
| Other political affiliations |
Democratic Progressive Party (until 2018) |
| Spouse | Mary Chilima |
| Children | 2 (Sean and Elizabeth) |
| Alma mater | University of Malawi University of Bolton |
Saulos Klaus Chilima (born February 12, 1973 – died June 10, 2024) was an important politician and economist from Malawi. He served as the Vice President of Malawi two times. His first term was from 2014 to 2019, and his second was from 2020 until his death in 2024.
Chilima became Vice President on June 28, 2020, after he and presidential candidate Lazarus Chakwera won the 2020 Malawian presidential election. He also worked as the Minister of Economic Planning and Development. Before becoming a politician, Chilima held top jobs at big companies like Unilever, Coca-Cola, and Airtel Malawi. He even became the Chief Executive Officer at Airtel Malawi.
Sadly, on June 10, 2024, a plane carrying Chilima and eight other people crashed in the Chikangawa Forest Reserve. Everyone on board died in the accident. Many people, about 41,000, attended his state funeral.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Saulos Chilima was born on February 12, 1973, in Ntcheu, Malawi. He was the first child of Henderson Brown Chilima and Elizabeth Frances Valeira Chilima. Saulos spent most of his childhood in Blantyre, where his parents worked. He enjoyed his summer breaks visiting his grandparents in Lilongwe and Ntcheu.
He went to HHI and Dharap primary schools. For his secondary education, he attended Marist Brothers Mtendere Secondary School in the Dedza District. After high school, he studied at the University of Malawi, Chancellor College, and earned a degree in social sciences in 1994.
Later, he went back to the University of Malawi to study for a master's degree in Economics, which he completed in 2005. On August 10, 2015, Chilima earned his Ph.D in Knowledge Management from the University of Bolton in the United Kingdom.
Business Career
Saulos Chilima was a marketing expert. He started his career at Lever Brothers (now part of Unilever). He then worked at the Leasing and Finance Company of Malawi and Southern Bottlers Limited (now Castel Malawi).
His last job before politics was at Airtel Malawi. He first led their sales team. In 2010, he became the first Malawian to be the managing director for the company.
At Airtel, Chilima led important projects like Project Precision, Yabooka, Airtel Money, and a 3G network upgrade. These projects greatly helped the company. Airtel Malawi's yearly income grew by 75% in three years, from US$54 million in 2010 to US$95 million in 2013.
Political Journey
In February 2014, Chilima became the running mate for Peter Mutharika. Mutharika was the presidential candidate for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in the May 2014 presidential election.
Later, Chilima left the DPP. On July 21, 2018, he started his own political party, the United Transformation Movement (UTM). He planned to run for president in the May 2019 elections.
In February 2019, the UTM tried to form a united group with other parties. These included the Alliance for Democracy (Aford) and the People's Party. The goal was to have one presidential candidate. However, some parties later left the alliance.
In the 2019 election, Chilima came in third place. His party, the UTM, won four seats in the National Assembly. The presidential election results were later canceled. A new election was held in 2020.
For the 2020 election, Chilima joined forces with Lazarus Chakwera as his running mate. They formed the Tonse Alliance, which included several opposition parties. Their goal was to win against the government of Peter Mutharika.
In June 2022, Chilima's powers as Vice President were temporarily removed. This happened because he was accused of wrongdoing related to government contracts. In November 2022, he faced charges, but he said he was not guilty. In May 2024, the charges were dropped, and President Chakwera began giving him official duties again.
What He Cared About
Chilima also served as a minister for disaster relief and public events. He was part of Compact 2025, a group that helps leaders end hunger and poor nutrition by 2025. He often spoke about these issues.
He strongly supported protecting the environment and encouraged people to be physically fit and play sports. He was also a strong critic of corruption in politics. As a student, he led the student group of the Alliance for Democracy (Aford), which worked for multi-party democracy.
Personal Life
Saulos Chilima was married to Mary Chilima. They had two children, a son named Sean and a daughter named Elizabeth. He was a Catholic.
His Death
On June 10, 2024, a Dornier 228 plane from the Malawi Defence Force went missing. Chilima and eight other people were on board. They were flying to attend a funeral in the Chikangawa Forest Reserve in the Northern Region.
President Lazarus Chakwera ordered a search and rescue mission. On June 11, 2024, President Chakwera announced that Chilima and everyone else on the plane had died in the crash. This included Patricia Shanil Muluzi, a former First Lady of Malawi.
After his body was found, a state funeral service was held for Chilima at the Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe on June 16. About 41,000 people attended. He was buried on June 17 in his home village of Nsipe. President Chakwera and former presidents Bakili Muluzi, Joyce Banda, and Peter Mutharika were there.
A year after his death, his family held a memorial service at his grave site in Nsipe. President Lazarus Chakwera led another memorial service on the same day at Nthungwa, the crash site.
See also
In Spanish: Saulos Chilima para niños
- List of solved missing person cases
