Malawi: Police Impose 8pm Curfew After 7 Kabaza Riders Murdered in Lilongwe

What the report says

Police in Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe, have introduced an 8 p.m. curfew for motorcycle taxi operators after authorities said seven riders were killed across the district in the previous week. The report, carried by Nyasa Times and distributed by AllAfrica, said three of the bodies had not yet been identified and were being held at Kamuzu Central Hospital while police asked relatives of missing riders to come forward.

Lilongwe police spokesperson Hastings Chigalu said the attackers were allegedly posing as passengers, taking riders to isolated areas, and then robbing and killing them. Police urged families with missing motorcycle taxi operators to check with the hospital and contact officers if they believed a relative was among the unidentified bodies.

To enforce the new rule, police said they carried out a midnight operation over the weekend and impounded 30 motorcycles found operating after hours. The curfew is intended to reduce riders’ exposure to crime after dark and to help authorities respond to what they described as a sharp rise in violent attacks.

More broadly, the case highlights the vulnerability of motorcycle taxi workers, who are widely used for transport in Malawi and elsewhere in the region. Police said further enforcement and investigations are expected as they try to identify the perpetrators and restore confidence in the sector.