Lilongwe City Council has announced that it will close Wakawaka Market tonight due to safety concerns, as the market is located too close to the road, posing a risk of various traffic accidents.
According to the Council’s Chief Executive Officer, Clement Stambuli, the decision follows multiple warnings that had been issued over a long period, urging vendors at the market to relocate.
Stambuli
Stambuli said the market has expanded beyond its designated boundaries and that conducting business at the site poses a serious danger because of its proximity to the road.
He also noted that the market’s owners have failed to manage it properly, highlighting poor sanitation conditions.
The Council has therefore directed all vendors operating at the market to relocate to the By-pass Market, where they can continue their businesses.
In abid to protect the environment, Zuwa Energy has embarked on a three-day community activation in Area 25, Lilongwe, aimed at promoting clean, affordable and efficient cooking solutions.
The activation, running from 31st March to 2nd April, will focus on the different products Zuwa has brought on the ground such as Kwacha 6 and Macheza 32 and customers will be able to purchase products on-site.
According to Chief Oparations Officer, Winston Ngwira, area 25 has been selected as the ideal location for this activation due to its high population density and the growing need for reliable, smoke-free cooking alternatives and is one of the areas Zuwa will visit this coming 2 months.
Ngwira said the initiative forms part of Zuwa Energy’s ongoing commitment to making modern energy solutions accessible to Malawian households.
He added that they are targeting households that have access to electricity and currently rely on charco
Members of a special parliamentary committee established to investigate the plane crash that killed former Vice-President Saulos Klaus Chilima and eight others have elected Nsanje South West legislator Walter Nyamilandu as chairperson.
The Malawi Defence Force (MDF) aircraft crashed on 10 June 2024 at Nthungwa in the Chikangawa Forest, claiming the lives of Chilima and eight other passengers.
The parliamentary committee was announced last week by Speaker of the Parliament, Sameer Suleman,as part of efforts by lawmakers to establish the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.
Nyamilandu
The committee brings together legislators from several political parties.
Members include Gilbert Khonyongwa, Chipalamoto Nkhwazi, Dumisani Lindani and James Mpunga of the Democratic Progressive Party(DPP); Mphatso Boti Phiri, Joshua Malango and George Jivason Kadzipatike of the Malawi Congress Party(MCP ); and Ishmael Mkumba of the United Democratic Front(UDF ).
Other members are Felix Njawala of the United Transformation Movement (UTM), Beatrice Mwale of the People’s Party(PP), and independent legislators Savel Kafwafwa, Nyamilandu and Dyless Moses Bengo.
The committee is expected to begin its work soon and will investigate the circumstances surrounding the crash before presenting its findings to Parliament.
Findings of the inquiry released on December 14, 2024 ruled out foul play, but attributed the accident to bad weather and other human factors.
The commission, chaired by High Court of Malawi Judge Jabbar Alide, also said there was no evidence of technical fault of the plane, adding that the aircraft was in good condition and had attained 3 000 hours of flying at the time of the accident.
A final technical report by the German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation released on June 7, 2025 established that human error was among the contributing factors to the plane crash.
Immediately after the mangled wreck of the ill-fated plane was found, the former president Lazarus Chakwera told the nation that all people on board “died instantly on impact” and that findings of investigations would be made public.
The nine were travelling to Nkhata Bay to attend the burial of former minister of Justice and Attorney General Ralph Kasambara
Former Secretary to the President and Cabinet,Colleen Zamba along with former cabinet ministers Sam Kawale and Sosten Gwengwe,were on Monday granted bail by Principal Resident Magistrate Benjamin Chulu following their arrest over allegations related to a government fertilizer contract.
The three officials are accused of misusing their offices in the awarding of a contract to East Bridge for the supply of fertilizer to government programs.
They appeared in court to be formally informed of the charges, which include conspiracy to commit a crime and individual charges of misuse of office.
Following the reading of charges, State prosecutor Prescott Mwayiulipo requested three weeks to prepare disclosures.
The defense, led by lawyer Khumbo Soko, did not object and instead applied for bail.
The State also raised no objection to the bail application.
Magistrate Chulu granted bail on the condition that each accused pays a K2 million bail bond, produces two sureties each bonded at K5 million (non-cash), reports to National Police Headquarters once a month, and surrenders all travel documents to the court.
The court also gave the State 21 days to prepare and serve the disclosures to the defense.
Contractors that were repairing the deteriorating M1 road have halted work because they have not been paid for a number of months. According to highly placed sources, the contractors were last paid their dues last year in the month of September.
The rehabilitation of the M1 road—a project initiated by the former Malawi Congress Party (MCP) under the dynamic leadership of former President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera—brought hope for improved connectivity and economic growth. However, that hope has been quickly overshadowed by the dark clouds of financial mismanagement.
Information in our possession says the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has ordered the contractors, mainly Chinese, to return to their homeland until such a time when funds are available.
M1 Road
The development has come as a surprise to many Malawians because the rehabilitation works were already funded by the country’s international partners.
The development has brought about anger amongst road users who had anticipated that the project is something that they desperately needed, both for its infrastructure and as a symbol of progress.
Meanwhile, residents of Mponela have threatened to take to the streets in protest against the situation. We will give you more information as the story unfolds.
