A tense showdown erupted at the Chikangawa plane crash inquiry Tuesday, as former Police Director of Operations Commissioner Akis Muwanga was sharply rebuked by Committee Chairperson Walter Nyamilandu Manda after responding to MPs’ questions in a manner the chairman branded disrespectful.

The ex-officer, who visibly struggled to answer in English, was forced to switch to Chichewa mid-testimony.

But it wasn’t the language switch that caught the chairman’s attention — it was Muwanga’s entire attitude in the hot seat.

Nyamilandu wasn’t having it, firing back at the former commissioner in no uncertain terms.

“You are being questioned by Honourable Members of Parliament. They are Honourable Members, and you must answer them respectfully,” Nyamilandu told him.

The blistering intervention came as MPs pressed Muwanga hard over crucial details surrounding the search and rescue operation following the Chikangawa plane crash — a moment that left onlookers stunned to see a former senior police officer struggling to hold his own, and being publicly reminded exactly where he was sitting.

It was, in short, a stark reminder for Muwanga: this was Parliament, not a police interview room — and Honourable Members expect to be treated as such.