BY JACK MCBRAMS
Ruling Malawi Congress Party (MCP) officials including councillors and a bodyguard to a cabinet minister at the centre of illegal land seizure accusations in the capital Lilongwe where authorities are brazenly selling land designated for future city constructions including road expansion.
This illegal land sale has left the city’s urban development plan in disarray, with the encroachers also breaking the law by eating into prohibited land, as the new ruling elite continues a vicious cycle of abuse of office that has devastated the country’s cities for decades.
Amid the mayhem, officials stand accused of pocketing the proceeds from these illegal transactions, bypassing the city's revenue channels.
The impact of these illegal land grabs is widespread, our investigation can reveal, with notable areas affected including parts of the road reserve along M1 road such as an area ostensibly owned by the National Construction Industry Council (NCIC), parts of Malangalanga particularly the land behind Crown Lodge, the Kaunjika market close to the bus depot, opposite the public toilet in the bus depot, areas surrounding the bus depot, and opposite the Lilongwe Technical College.
On April 19, a group of encroachers began constructing on land adjacent to NCIC premises in Area 36. The Council responded swiftly, involving Malawi Police and issuing a stop order against the illegal development. Although NCIC could not identify the culprits, they managed to halt the illegal construction.
Another hotspot for illegal construction is the land outside the perimeter fence of Crown Lodge at Malangalanga. In April, the Lilongwe City Council took action against the encroachers, demolishing the line of shops that had been illegally constructed and the affluent Area 47’s neighborhood particularly in its Sector 3 area where several plots have been allocated on what residents had been previously told was a road reserve.
The Malawi Institute of Physical Planners defines a road reserve as land set aside for road construction and future expansions, including utility strips for essential services such as water pipes, electricity cables, telecommunication cables, street lights, and stormwater drainage. These areas are crucial for maintaining the city's infrastructure and ensuring smooth urban growth. Despite these regulations, city and ministry officials have remained tight-lipped about the ongoing encroachments, refusing to comment or take any decisive action publicly.
A confidential source within the city council revealed to PIJ the extent of the malpractice, highlighting that the seized plots not only violate the city's land zoning plans but also encroach upon areas crucial for future road expansion projects. The whistleblower warned of impending chaos if intervention is not immediate, predicting significant financial repercussions for the country. "Designs for the M1 road from 6 miles to Lilongwe bridge will be out soon. The road will have double lanes on each side with pedestrian walkways, cycleways, and service lanes. If this is not stopped, the country will have to cough up billions of Kwachas in compensation," the city executive told PIJ.
Politics of The Belly
The country’s oldest political establishment, the Malawi Congress Party, not only leads the executive with the presidency in its corner but also dominates seats in the Lilongwe District Council chamber. After campaigning for change in the 2019 presidential, parliamentary, and ward councilor elections, pledging a clean slate from years of corruption and mismanagement in the cities, the new ruling elite at Civic Office appears to be failing prey to the same trappings that plagued previous mayors and councilors.
A councilor within the Lilongwe City Assembly disclosed to PIJ that the land encroachment issue has led to heated debates among members. He fingered Dala Kadula, an MCP functionary and alleged part of Minister Richard Chimwendo Banda’s security detail, as a key player in the scheme.
Chimwendo Banda serves as the Minister of Local Government, Unity and Culture, Leader of Government Business in Parliament, and MCP’s National Youth Director. According to the councilor, Kadula and his team identify vacant land within the city, approach the Mayor, and ensure that no trouble arises when construction begins.
When PIJ approached him for comment, Kadula said he was “too busy mourning his boss Lucius Banda to respond to such nonsense.”
Gedion: NCIC could not allow such illegality to continue
The National Construction Industry Council (NCIC) Spokesman Lyford Gedion expressed concern over the illegal developments on a road reserve.
"As a regulator of the construction industry in Malawi, NCIC could not allow such illegality to continue under its watch," he said.
An aerial photo shows shops a series of shops erected around the Lilongwe Bus Terminal perimeter fence
A councillor recounted a near fistfight in the assembly chambers when the proposal to allocate the land outside Crown Lodge was rejected. Watch the video of the councillors fighting on this link: https://www.kapwing.com/videos/66814c4b95cd268289aa42e7
"What you have to bear in mind is that Crown Lodge is owned by the District Council and not LCC, but the Mayor used his team to start building. When the issue came before a full council meeting, the councillors rejected the proposal," he said.
The councillor explained that it was only after the Mayor and his team were summoned to Capital Hill that they decided to demolish a portion of the illegal structures.
"They received too much pressure from Capital Hill and decided to just demolish a few targeted areas to ease the pressure. But there are several illegal structures that are still standing today. For instance, the shops outside the Main Bus Terminal are all illegal structures. Actually, all those structures from BLM in Falls to Simama Filling Station at Malangalanga are illegal structures that started sprouting during the DPP regime. The MCP guys have just inherited and continued with the rot. But none of these people have title deeds for their plots," he added.
The site of the demolished shops at Malangalanga adjacent to the Crown Lodge two days after it was demolished
Selective Justice and Market Encroachment
The Bwaila Minibus Depot at Malangalanga has seen new shops sprout up, allegedly on road reserves. While the Minibus Owners Association claims they acquired the land legally from the Ministry of Lands, the presence of these shops adds to the city's growing list of illegal constructions.
Frank, one of the traders at Malangalanga, told PIJ that they started building when they saw a cue from fellow traders at the Nigerian section of the market who had also started constructing shops.
"We have been using this land for a very long time, and when we saw that the Nigerians had started building, we decided to take action because we wanted to secure the land from foreigners," he explained.
He added that the loose consortium of traders had invested more than K600 million in the project before it was demolished.
"There is a lot of corruption happening here because they only demolished shops on our side of the market but left the others standing. The city has to explain to us why they have applied selective justice," he said.
When PIJ approached the Nigerian traders to get their side of the story, they referred us to Grant Kachingwe, the leader of the Malangalanga traders. Kachingwe told PIJ that the current public narrative does not reflect the true facts.
"Unfortunately, I cannot comment much on the matter because the case is currently in court. I will ask our lawyer to contact you with the correct information," he said. The lawyer never did, despite several reminders.
However, Kachingwe dismissed reports that their side had been spared due to political connections.
"The city knows everything. I am 51 years old; I was born and raised here at this market. All these people found me here. I know who owns what and where," he said before gesturing to the block of new shops taking shape. "There were containers here, and we have just converted them to shops," he explained.
Although PIJ witnessed several Nigerian nationals inspecting the construction, Kachingwe disputed claims that the shops were owned by Nigerians.
"Are we that stupid to allow the Nigerians to come and just grab our land while we watch? What kind of people would that make us?" he said, but refused to comment on whether any politicians were involved.
Fresh construction underway in what has long been spared as a road reserve along Msokera Ring Road in Area 47, Sector 3
Illegal Plots in Area 47/3
In Area 47’s Sector 3, several plots have been allocated on what residents had been told was a road reserve. As one drives into Msokera Ring Road in Area 47, Sector 3 from the direction of Chitukuko, one notices new structures taking places with a couple of new plot owners already erecting durawall fences. An access road has already been paved to allow easy access to the plots.
A city council official confirmed to PIJ that the area has long been reserved as a road reserve apart from the fact that crucial supply lines run under the plots.
A resident told PIJ that the community was surprised when workers arrived on several sites and started clearing land, bringing along bricks and sand, indicating that construction work would soon start.
"We thought this was strange because all along, the city council had been telling us that the land was a road reserve and it was illegal to construct on the site," the resident said.
A former councillor at the city assembly told PIJ that the Ministry of Lands had initially planned to allocate the plot to party officials during the DPP regime before they were stopped in their tracks by then LCC CEO John Chome.
The ex-councillor told us that MCP officials are now at the forefront of allocating the plots.
When contacted, Chome confirmed having rejected the Ministry of Lands’ request to allocate land on the stretch of land. PIJ visited these areas and witnessed construction taking place, mostly of small shops.
An aerial photo captures the construction of new shops around the Bwaila Minibus Terminal
Minibus Stands Turned into Mini-Mall
Over the past few months, a string of new shops has sprouted around what once was the bustling Bwaila Minibus Depot at Malangalanga. While our sources at the city claim that the shops have been illegally erected on road reserves, the Minibus Owners Association claims they acquired the land from the Ministry of Lands in 2011.
The association’s secretary, Maya Kamwendo, told PIJ that the association started processing payment for the land 13 years ago.
"But we had financial challenges along the way because we were paying little by little. But you can go to the ministry; we have the title deeds," he claimed.
Kachingwe explained that the land was allocated to members of the association who then constructed shops. "We even got approval from the Ministry of Lands for the plans that we had," he said.
According to experts, the encroachers have eaten away what is meant to be the road reserve for future expansion
According to our source within the LLC, the city has zoned land for the construction of a 64-metre-wide ring road from Mchinji roundabout to Kaunda roundabout, through Bingu Stadium roundabout, all the way to Area 25, then connecting to M1 at Kanengo. This road will have both a motorised four-lane road and land reserved for a railway line.
"This land shouldn't be encroached or allocated to other uses," he said. He added that the encroached land at Malangalanga area is essentially for street roads and street parking areas. "Clogging or blocking these areas has created a nuisance."
He explained that since the bus depot reverted back to Lilongwe City Council, the use of the land outside the depot is for ancillary services. "But ancillary services should not compromise the main use. This shouldn't also be mistaken to mean the land should be given to councillors."
LCC, Police Contradict Each Other
For its part, the Lilongwe City Council admitted to the land grabs but stated they had taken measures to halt illegal construction.
LCC spokeswoman Tamara Chafunya confirmed that the council issued stop notices to all developers found encroaching on the land.
"We also made a complaint to the police about these illegal developments," she said.
However, Central Region Police spokesman Foster Benjamin denied receiving any complaint from the city.
"There is no evidence to show that the City Assembly lodged a complaint with the Police," he said.
Construction of shops underway outside Bwaila Minibus Depot
Urban Planning Experts Weigh in
The scandalous land grabs in Lilongwe have drawn criticism from experts in urban planning and governance. Gilbert Chilinde, president of the Malawi Institute of Physical Planners (MIPP), highlighted the challenges posed by political interference in urban development.
"Development control and enforcement officers are frequently threatened by those in power, allowing illegal structures to flourish," he explained.
Chilinde emphasized that developing without proper permits is unlawful and called for stronger enforcement measures to combat corruption in development activities.
He advocated for enhanced surveillance technologies and retraining of city officials to improve enforcement capabilities and uphold urban planning integrity.
Mtafu Manda, an urban planner and associate professor at Mzuzu University, echoed Chilinde's concerns about political manipulation in land allocation.
"Some individuals exploit their positions to benefit financially from illegal land transactions, disregarding urban planning regulations," he noted.
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