By Jones Gadama
Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development Chimwemwe Mazabuka Chipungu has delivered land justice to 132 displaced households at Nthunduwala-Zithe Farm in Kasungu, while also repossessing Nantipwiri Farm in Thyolo and resolving the longstanding Kasasire land dispute in Nkhata Bay, in what has been described as clear results under the leadership of President Arthur Peter Mutharika.
The development has seen families who lived in difficult conditions for more than 13 years finally allocated residential and agricultural land, with the Ministry creating plots for people in need in areas where land pressure has been a longstanding concern.
The Ministry of Lands confirmed the interventions this week as part of its renewed drive to address historical land injustices affecting ordinary Malawians across the country, a move that comes shortly after the Ministry launched its 2026–2031 Strategic Plan setting out a five-year roadmap covering land governance, affordable housing and sustainable urban development with emphasis on implementation, transparency, accountability and measurable results.
According to information from the Ministry, the Kasungu intervention at Nthunduwala-Zithe Farm has seen 132 households allocated land for both residential and agricultural use, ending years of displacement.
In Thyolo, the Ministry has repossessed Nantiwpiri Farm, created plots and begun allocation to local families.
In Nkhata Bay, the Ministry has intervened in the Kasasire dispute, an issue that has been consistently raised by stakeholders including vocal government critic Bishop Mtumbuka.
The Kasungu case has drawn particular attention because Kasungu has traditionally been regarded as an MCP stronghold.
Sources within the Ministry indicate that the problems affecting the 132 families persisted during the period when MCP had responsibility for the area but were not resolved until the current DPP government under President Mutharika stepped in.
Minister Chipungu is said to have taken a firm stance on delivery and accountability within the Ministry, with a directive that where officials begin going wayward and undermining the Ministry’s objectives, decisive action should be taken.
The Ministry has stated that loyalty should never become a shield for incompetence and that officials who become obstacles to delivery should be removed in order for institutions to improve.
The Ministry’s intervention demonstrates that government can listen even to its critics, investigate issues raised and act where action is justified, with the Kasasire resolution cited as an example of good governance.
Behind the numbers are families that need somewhere to live, somewhere to cultivate and somewhere to rebuild their future, and the allocation of land to the affected households is therefore being viewed as more than an administrative exercise but as restoration of dignity.
The Ministry says the real test of its newly launched strategic plan will be whether ordinary Malawians experience faster services, fairer access to land, better housing opportunities and more accountable land administration, and it has pledged to remain vigilant in monitoring implementation.
President Arthur Peter Mutharika’s administration has placed land reform at the centre of its development agenda, and the recent interventions are being seen as evidence of that commitment translating into tangible results for the landless and displaced.
