The government, through the Ministry of Health, has disclosed that it has reached out to over 2.9 million children with polio vaccine during the second round of the immunisation campaign week.
Programs manager for Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) for the ministry , Mike Chisema, attributed the achievement to the overwhelming response from parents and guardians, who turned up in large numbers to have their children vaccinated against polio.
Mike Chisema
Chisema adds that the strong participation reflects growing public awareness of the importance of immunisation in protecting children from polio desease.
Chisema has however , Chisema emphasized the need for continued cooperation from the public, noting that immunisation campaigns must be sustained to maintain high coverage and protect all children.
The Churches Action in Relief and Development ( CARD) will implement emergency food assistance project to households that have been affected by prolonged dry spells, stormy winds and flash floods which has resulted to low crop yields targeting 2,700 in Dowa district.
The emergency food assistance project will be implemented in the areas of three traditional authorities Mponela, Msakambewa and Dzoole for 4 months from April to July and vulnerable households will receive food items between end May to early June, 2026 where beneficiaries will go away with 100 Kilograms maize, 4 Litres cooking oil and 10 Kilograms beans.
Beneficiaries of the project will be sensitized to take out 3 Kilograms beans for winter planting thereby multiplying the seeds.
Presenting the project to the District executive committee (Dec) in Dowa, the organization’s Projects Officer Chifundo Samati Macheka, said Malawi is facing severe food insecurity during lean season, climate shocks ( dry spells and erratic rainfall), high food prices, transport costs, Kwacha devaluation, and households are struggling to meet minimum food needs.
Macheka said according to MVAC report (2025) Dowa district is affected by rising staple food prices eroding purchasing power and early exhaustion of household food stocks.
She said many families in the district are unable to meet minimum food consumption needs, reliance on negative coping strategies ( skipping meals, eating wild foods, selling assets and risk of malnutrition and vulnerability escalation.
The officer said the emergency food assistance will be implemented by Catholic Relief Services ( CRS) and CARD in coordination with DoDMA and district stakeholders targeting 2,700 vulnerable households, the funding is from Lattel Day Saint Charities of Australia
” Over 75 percent of the total budget is allocated to in – kind distribution (goods and services) demonstrating a strong focus on program delivery to beneficiaries,” said Macheka.
She said the emergency food assistance is expected to prevent deterioration of food consumption, reduce reliance on harmful coping strategies, protect vulnerable households during lean season and strengthen community resilience.
Macheka finally called for national and district – level coordination, collaboration to prevent duplication and maximizing impact so that together, they can safeguard households in Dowa district.
Station Officer for Dowa Police Station Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Mac Donald Khalira, appealed to partners implementing relief items to the citizens to involve the police during both the registration of beneficiaries and distribution exercises to curb ghost names from finding their way in the beneficiary registers.
And in her remarks, Dowa District Council’s Director of Planning and Development Mercy Mpakule, called on CARD to be tactical when targeting names of beneficiaries leaving the job to the committees saying these people register family names leaving out the well – deserved beneficiaries
The High Court of Malawi has delivered a landmark ruling that redraws the boundaries of traditional authority in urban spaces, declaring that there are no recognized chiefs within the city of Blantyre and ordering those claiming such titles to stop immediately.
The decision follows a legal battle involving residents from several townships, including Zingwangwa, Chimwankhunda, Manja, Nkolokosa, Money Men, Naperi and Soche East, where disputes over alleged traditional leadership had sparked concern among communities.
Presiding over the case, Justice Rachel Sikwese sided with the complainants after scrutinizing submissions presented before the court. Central to the ruling was the rejection of affidavits filed by individuals claiming to be chiefs, which the court found to be both procedurally flawed and legally inadmissible.
Lawyer Cassius Chithothe, representing the complainants, successfully argued that the affidavits were submitted late and lacked proper swearing undermining their credibility and weight in court proceedings.
With the court agreeing to these arguments, the ruling effectively dismantles claims of traditional authority within Blantyre’s city limits, reinforcing the legal distinction between rural chieftaincy structures and urban governance systems.
The respondents in the case Zizo Zingwangwa, Annie Zingwangwa and Esther Zingwangwa now face the full implications of the court’s directive, which not only questions their claims but sets a precedent for similar disputes across Malawi’s cities.
Legal observers say the judgment could have far-reaching consequences, especially in urban areas where traditional titles have often been informally adopted, sometimes leading to confusion over land, authority and representation.
For residents, the ruling signals a shift toward clearer governance structures placing city administration firmly in the hands of civic authorities rather than traditional leaders.
Malawi’s business community is at a standstill, with thousands of shops closed in protest against the government’s Electronic Invoicing System (EIS), a digital platform designed to enhance Value Added Tax (VAT) collection efficiency.
The EIS, rolled out by the Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) on May 1, 2026, aims to modernize tax administration, improve compliance, and reduce tax leakage.
However, traders argue that the system will compromise their privacy, increase costs, and exacerbate existing economic hardships, including foreign exchange shortages and high inflation.
The shutdown has disrupted supply chains, leaving customers stranded and daily commerce severely impacted.
The MRA maintains that the EIS is necessary to strengthen revenue collection and ensure fairness in the marketplace, but traders claim the system was introduced without adequate consultation.
The standoff highlights deeper structural frustrations, including persistent foreign exchange shortages and complexities surrounding transactions conducted in US dollars.
Traders argue that compliance with EIS is unrealistic given these challenges.
The government has offered a two-month support window to facilitate the transition, but traders remain unconvinced, warning of prolonged protests and potential street demonstrations.
Economists warn that the country cannot afford a prolonged standoff, emphasizing the need for dialogue and urgent resolution.
The EIS rollout is part of a broader effort to modernize Malawi’s tax administration and align with international digital reporting standards.
However, the current confrontation underscores the importance of trust-building and consultation between government and business stakeholders.
Concerned residents and traders of Blantyre say they have learnt with shock and dismay over the NGO Gender Coordination Network ( GCN) and Women’s Manifesto Movement statements of rushing to condemn Mayor Isaac Jomo Osman while remaining completely silent on the plaque of theft and stolen property in the markets.
The two women organizations in their press statements called on the law enforcers to arrest Mayor Jomo Osman for slapping a woman who is a suspect of theft offences.
The call by the two organizations on Jomo to be arrested has been greeted with anger by the residents and traders of Blantyre who don’t understand why Jomo has to be arrested out doing ” Operation mchotsa mbava zonse in Limbe and Blantyre.
Jomo Osman
In an open letter to the two women organizations, the residents and traders have told them openly that their demand for Mayor’s arrest is an insult to every woman in Mtopwa who has had her business ruined by criminals.
In the letter, the residents and traders have asked the two women organizations on their claim to stand for ” women’s dignity” questioning them where is the dignity for the victims of theft? And why they are only used to protect those suspected of committing a crime?
The concerned residents and traders have thrown their weight on Jomo that he did what any leader who cares for his people would do.
They said Mayor Jomo confronted the problem of theft in Limbe and Blantyre head – on saying the people are tired of ” polite” leaders who sit in offices while citizens are being robbed in the streets without taking actions to stop the spate of theft cases.
The residents and traders have advised the two women organizations that if they want to talk about gender based violence, they should talk about the violence of poverty caused by the theft of their property.
” We do not need your based activism, we need leaders like Jomo who has the courage to stand up for the honest trader,” reads the open letter in part.
The residents and traders have finally appealed to the two women organizations to stop protecting criminals and start protecting the citizens.
Meanwhile, a Malawi Congress Party (MCP) diehard of Mvera in Dowa district Mr. Rodgers Kamphangala, has allegedly accused the MCP of sponsoring Agape Khombe and Billy Malata to hold demonstrations against Blantyre City Mayor Isaac Jomo Osman in Lilongwe on Thursday 7th May, 2026 and not Blantyre.
Kamphangala said by allowing Khombe and Malata to hold the demos in Lilongwe, this is speaking for itself that MCP cannot run away from being part of the planned demonstrations.
He has assured the MCP that even if Mutharika can be forced to step down as President of the Republic of Malawi, there’s no way a candidate from MCP can win trust of the 22 million plus citizens to become President of the country any time soon.
The MCP diehard has challenged Khombe and Malata that if they are genuine activists, they should hold their demonstration in Blantyre and not Lilongwe.
According to the letter of their intent to hold peaceful demonstration, assembly point will be at Lilongwe City Council offices and from there, they will deliver petitions to American Embassy, British High Commission, Norwegian Embassy, Ministry of Local Government and finally the Ministry of Gender and Community Development.
