Tributes are pouring in for the late football administrator and player Henry ‘Kaka’ Chibowa, whose remains will be buried at Henry Henderson Institute (HHI) Cemetery today.
Clubs, administrators and fans have joined Football Association of Malawi (Fam) and Super League of Malawi in paying last respects to Chibowa, who died on Tuesday at Mwaiwathu Private Hospital due to kidney failure.
Mighty Mukuru Wanderers Board Secretary Chancy Gondwe said they have lost one of the finest football administrators to have ever served at Lali Lubani road outfit.
“We have lost a football genius. He shall forever be remembered for his contribution to Wanderers and to football development in general,” Gondwe said.
Silver Strikers Board Chairperson George Kaudza Masina, who worked with the deceased at Fam, said Chibowa was a great football administrator who believed in seeing the elite league grow.
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“Together with Gaston Mwenelupembe, Sunduzwayo Madise and the late Hastings Kapenuka, they made sure that the elite league was divorced from the armpit of Fam for it to develop to another level and it happenned.
“Even at club level, he had a distinguished career at both Wanderers and Uniprint where he won trophies as general secretary. I worked with Chibowa at Fam and as workmates elsewhere and his language was all football. Malawi has lost a true definition of a football administrator,” Masina said.
Wanderers supporter Dyson Musa said Chibowa was a brilliant football administrator who delivered everywhere he went.
“He served Wanderers mightily and pioneered the formation of Super League of Malawi. In 1997, Henry was forced out at MTL Wanderers and joined Uniprint as general secretary.
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“At Uniprint, Kaka, as Chibowa, was called, made history alongside the coach Schubert Kuwali after inspiring the team to win the Kamuzu Cup at Civo Stadium in Lilongwe. Ironically, Uniprint were an average team but stunned star studded Wanderers through a Richard Sogoja golden goal. This was the first final in Malawi to be won through a golden goal,” he said.
Local football administrators and fans Wednesday gathered at Kamuzu University of Health Sciences mortuary where his body was taken to Njamba Township for a vigil.
Super League President Fleetwood Haiya, Chibowa’s close ally Gaston Mwenelupembe, marketer and banker Wilkins Mijiga, Masina and Higger Mkandawire were some of the prominent people that were in attendance.
