By Manasse Nyirenda

Rumphi, May 5, Mana: On Monday, 1,228 coffee farmers from Phoka in Rumphi were issued customary land certificates to safeguard permanent ownership of their land.

According to District Commissioner for Rumphi, Emmanuel Bulukutu said the certificates will not only ensure legal ownership of the land but will also reduce land disputes in the area.

"The certificates will also be catalysts to enhancing sanity and peace in land administration in this area which experiences a lot of land wrangles,” said Bulukutu.

He added that land inheritance will also be easier as the certificates are legally binding, hence will be easily passed on from one generation to the next.

“This initiative additionally empowers people to invest in agricultural commercialization and industrialization to manage their land for agriculture productivity,” he said.

Deputy Director for Quality Assurance in the Ministry of Lands, Ruth Banda said that she was pleased to see women owning land legally in patrilineal systems across the country including Rumphi District.

One of the recipients of the certificates, Patricia Mwembe of Fwira Village under Senior Traditional Authority Kachulu said she was happy to own a piece of land legally.

"No one including my brother can take away this land from me," said Mwembe.

Kachulu said the certificates will act as evidence of land ownership hence reducing land ownership disputes in his area.

By Bazilio Chingoli

Ntcheu, May 6, Mana: Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) Chairperson, Justice Annabel Mtalimanja, has appealed to traditional and religious leaders to be ambassadors of peace and unity as the country prepares for the September 16 general elections.

Mtalimanja made the call on Monday during a voter verification sensitization meeting with traditional and religious leaders in the area of Senior Chief Champiti in Ntcheu District.

The MEC Chair urged the leaders to encourage their subjects to verify their voter registration particulars when the voter verification and inspection exercise begins.

Mtalimanja also promoted the use of an SMS platform for voter verification, which can be accessed by dialing *2509# and entering the voter registration number starting with "G" or the National Identification number.

She emphasized the importance of promoting peace and stability in the country to ensure free, fair, and credible elections.

Senior Chief Champiti pledged his commitment to promoting peace and unity in his area, describing the call as timely.

"We plan to engage with all shadow MPs and Ward Councilors contesting in our area to advise them to conduct peaceful campaigns and avoid provocation," he said.

The voter verification and inspection exercise in Ntcheu will take place from May 21 to 23, while the SMS platform will be available from May 5 to September 16.

By Ernest Mfunya

Mangochi, May 5, Mana: Martin Chiwanda, who until his death was District lnformation Officer for Machinga has been laid to rest at Karonga Village, Traditional Authority Ntonda in Mangochi on Monday, April 5, 2025.

Chiwanda who also served as Public Relations Officer for Machinga District Council died on Friday, April  2, at   Machinga District Hospital where he was admitted  on April 1, for pnumonia.

Speaking during the funeral ceremony, Deputy Director of Information,  Lisa Malango described Chiwanda’s passing as a loss to the ministry, saying he will be remembered for his hard working spirit.

According to Malango, late Chiwanda was dedicated to duties, saying  the ministry will greatly miss his contributions.

“It is very heart-breaking  that our friend and workmate who was selfless and dedicated to his job has  departed from us,” said Malango.

A representative of Machinga District Council, Shepherd Jere expressed sadness over the death of Chiwanda, saying that the council has lost a person who had  passion to transform the district.

“The council is saddened with the death of our brother, Martin Chiwanda. He was available anytime the council wanted him,” he added.

Lucius Msosa who spoke on behalf of the deceased family said the family was shocked with the death, saying that Martin was a strong family pillar that stood for everyone.

“The family has lost a pillar and we are going to miss him. He taught us a lot and for that we are thankful to him. May his soul rest in eternal peace,” he added.

People from Mangochi, Machinga, Nsanje, Lilongwe and other parts of the country gathered at his home village to pay their last respect among them included officials from the Ministry of lnformation, journalists from various media organisations and Association of Catholic Journalists.

Senior Chief Chamba of Machinga and Traditional Authority  Ntonda of Mangochi also paid their last respect to Chiwanda at Karonga Village saying his death has left a gap.

Chiwanda, who was born on  March 3, 1981, joined Ministry of Information and Digitalization on April 18, 2012 and  served  as District lnformation Officer in Nsanje and Machinga.

He is survived by a wife and two children.

By Andrew Mkonda

Lilongwe, 5 May, Mana: Social Cash Transfer Programme (SCTP), commonly known as Mtukula Pakhomo beneficiaries in Lilongwe District have applauded government for introducing the safety net initiative that has assisted them to improve their livelihood.

Lydia Phiri an old woman from Malembo village in the area of Sub-Traditional Authority Malembo, said the wages she receives from the programme has assisted her to pay school fees for her children and find basic needs for the family.

She was speaking on Monday during a supervision exercise of E-payment which was organized by the council aimed at appreciating the achievements and the challenges the beneficiaries are encountering with the new system of receiving their payment.

“I don’t receive much, but I manage to pay school fees for my children, I used to struggle with my family members, but now I am able to support them with basic needs,” she said.

Phiri then urged other beneficiaries to be using the money they get from SCTP for intended purpose so that they become self-reliant financially.

Another beneficiary, James Chikafa from Kasiya village who became a beneficiary of the SCTP in 2018, said she uses most of her money, to keep livestock such as pigs, goats and chicken which later she sales and find money for her family’s needs.

She said very soon she will be venturing into a small business so that it keeps her going as she waits to sell her livestock.

Lilongwe District Social Welfare Officer, Responsible for Social Cash Transfer Programme, Sarah Chimodzi, said it is encouraging that many beneficiaries are able to invest in livestock, such as chicken, goats and pigs.

Chimodzi further said the programme has also assisted in reducing negative risks such as withdrawal of children from school and absenteeism, among others.

The programme in Lilongwe District (SCTP) is being managed by Malawi Government with support from World Bank and targets ultra-poor and labour-constrained households by providing them support in form of cash.

The programme covers 23 Traditional Leaders and has a total number of 29, 512

beneficiaries.

By Chisomo Kambandanga

Nkhata Bay, May 5, Mana: District Commissioner (DC) for Nkhata Bay District, Rodgers Newa, has asked people living along Nkhata riverbank in the area of Senior Chief Timbiri and surrounding areas to evacuate to uplands for safety of their lives and properties due to continuous heavy rainfall.

Newa made the statement on Sunday at Kakumbi Village during a monitoring visit to affected households to assess the extent of the damage caused by the rains.

"We are here to assess the extent of the damage that the heavy rains have caused here at Kakumbi Village and other areas. As you can see, in most parts, nature is just claiming its course as these houses were constructed along the riverbank.

"My advice is that these people must move out with immediate effect to avoid further damage, as we will keep on receiving these rains up to next month," Newa said.

According to Newa, the heavy rainfall, which started on Saturday, May 3, 2025, has affected over 31 households at Nkhata Bay Boma, with some having their roofs blown off.

"We are still receiving reports from across the district as most areas like Traditional Authorities Fukamapiri, Timbiri and others are affected, causing damage to bridges, roads, crops. We will give a final report in due course," Newa added.

He further said the council has identified a temporary shelter for the affected households at Nkhata Bay Boma and will continue providing relief food where necessary while intensifying awareness campaigns.

Councillor for Boma Ward, Syrian Adamana said the affected households are in dire need of food and some are being housed by neighbours and relatives.

One of the affected people, Mary Tobias from Kakumbi Village said she has lost all the food and expressed hope that government will help them as they are trying to recover to their normal life.

By Rose Cross Mahorya

Mzuzu, May 5, Mana: Malawi Communication Regulatory Authority (MACRA) has expressed satisfaction with the progress at which artists in the country are utilizing its Universal Service Fund.

Speaking in Mzuzu during a third round premier of ‘Welcome to Maula Prison’ movie, the fund’s Project Manager Khumbo Kasambala said the production of the movie, is a testament of such utilization.

He called for more actors to utilise it by pitching to the fund with their respective projects.

“What we want is to boost Malawian content on our media channels; currently only around 20 percentages of it is local.

“We are impressed to see that the ‘Welcome to Maula Prison’ movie is not only showcasing great talent but there is also a huge improvement in terms of production which is very encouraging,” said Kasambala who further noted that the production gives hope of further growth of the film industry in Malawi.

Public Relations Officer for ‘Welcome to Maula Prison’ movie project, Desire Namachotsa appreciated the statutory body for setting up the fund which she said is an answered prayer to the artists.

“Good and quality things are expensive and movie making is no exception. Our movie industry can only grow if there are more sources of funding like the Universal Service Fund.

“Aside to that, we appreciate the support that we have received from Malawians across the country. It has made us feel proud of our work,” she said.

The premier, which delayed by over an hour in scheduled time due to slow turn out, ended on a high note with patrons who filled the hall to the brim, showering praises on the production team.

“I must confess that I am impressed beyond my expectation because the production is far better than most Malawian productions we have seen,” said Tawina Sangano, one of the patrons.

Another patron, Daud Banda said: “The acting, the picture, the sound, the content and everything else are top notch. I say bravo to the team for a great production.”

Universal Service Fund is a unit under Malawi Communication Regulatory Authority set aside to help achieve digital inclusion for all Malawians. It is a contributory fund from all telecommunication agencies in the country.

By Alice Ndunya

Machinga, May 4, Mana: Machinga District Council has assured participating communities in Climate Smart-Enhanced Public Works Programme (CS-EPWP) that it will improve on payment of wages to ensure timely and consistent wage payment of participants in the social protection programme.

The council made the assurance after CS-EPWP under Nkhande catchment, at Paramount Chief Kawinga's area in the district, after they complained of delayed and inadequate wages, which they said fail to meet their day-to-day needs.

Machinga District Council’s Information Communication Technology Officer, Lucy Beyadi acknowledged the challenges and assured the participating communities that the council was addressing late payment and other challenges in the programme.

“We are aware of these problems and right now some of them have been resolved, for instance, we had challenges with our server which we use when paying the participants but as of now, it has been resolved,” she added...

The payment of workers that participated in the fourth phase of CS-EPWP, which was completed some months ago, is expected to cover 22 catchments in the district.

One of CS-EPWP, participants, James Rashid, said that they waited for three months before receiving their wages and complained that the wages were not sufficient to make ends meet considering current cost of living.

“We have waited this long to receive payments such that it became worrisome. The affected our plans as we failed to buy basic necessities for our families,” he added.

Another CS-EPWP participant, Hilda Kawinga from Michongwe Village, Paramount Chief Kawinga’s area expressed joy over the payment, saying though the wage payment delayed,, it will still help  her buy school materials for her grandchildren while the other part of the wages will be used for household needs.

“I will use the money to buy exercises books for my grandchildren while the rest we will buy food at home,” Kawinga added.

She therefore commended Machinga District Commissioner, Rodrick Mateauma for taking his time to inspecting wage payment in Nkhande catchment.

“I am glad that we have been given a chance to express our concerns. This is a testimony that the council is committed to look into our concerns,” she said

In his sentiments, Mateauma encouraged the participants to continue working hard in all the activities aligned with the restoration of the environment in their respective catchments.

“We will continue to look into the welfare of the participants. This is evident from the recent increment as government adjusted the wages from K900.00 to K1, 600.00 per day.” He added.

The District Commissioner observed that CS-EPWP brought significant livelihood transformation and improvements in environmental conservation compared to years before the commencement of the programme in the district.

“The environment was in total shambles and there was an outcry from the community complaining of poor food harvest as a result of the effects of climate change in their agricultural activities.

“I therefore call upon communities to be committed to conservational agriculture and to adhere to all measures that help to sustain land management in the wake of climate change,” he added.

CS-EPWP is funded by the World Bank to improve livelihoods among communities through various wage-earning catchment activities such as reafforestation and other sustainable land resource initiatives.