By George Mponda

Karonga, June 17, Mana: A new project dubbed Ulimi ndi Chilengedwe m’Malawi (UCHI) has been launched in Karonga to strengthen, protect livelihoods and ensure food security in the face of climate and economic shocks in the district.

Speaking during the project's inception meeting on Tuesday, Kingsley Makiyoni, Interim Country Director for Christian Aid (CA) said the project to be implemented from 2024 to 2028 will be jointly implemented by Karonga District Council and Christian Aid.

"The main goal of the project is to help make Malawi's food systems more sustainable and inclusive. It aims to improve natural resource management, prevent land degradation, enhance biodiversity and biomass, boost food security, and uplift livelihoods in Karonga," said Makiyoni.

Makiyoni added that the project will focus on preserving, restoring, and regenerating natural resources and ecosystems, promoting sustainable and inclusive value chains and improving dietary intake and diversity among the targeted population.

"To support implementation, Christian Aid has allocated a vehicle, three motorcycles and technical expertise to Karonga district," he explained.

Representing the District Commissioner, Director of Health Services for Karonga, David Sibale welcomed the project saying it aligns well with Malawi’s development blueprint, Malawi 2063.

"The project’s focus on agricultural productivity, land conservation, trade, and sustainable food systems is exactly what Karonga needs. As a disaster prone district, the combined effects of climate change and deforestation have led to declining food security, so engaging local communities will be key to ensuring a lasting impact, “said Sibale.

The UCHI project to benefit 25, 817 households will be implemented in the areas of Senior Chiefs Mwirang'ombe, Mwakaboko, and Paramount Chief Kyungu. It is funded by the European Union to the tune of €914,386.36, with an additional €48,125.60 in co-financing from Christian Aid.

Apart from Karonga, the project is also being implemented in nine other districts: Chitipa, Mzimba, Nkhatabay, Kasungu, Nkhotakota, Salima, Chiradzulu, Thyolo, and Mulanje.

By: Andrew Mkonda

Lilongwe, June 16, Mana: Office of Registrar of Political Parties in Malawi (ORPP) has applauded the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) for submitting the financial report of the 2023-24 financial year state funding it received from Treasury through Parliament as stipulated in Political Parties Act.

Registrar of Political Parties, Dr. Kizito Tenthani was speaking on Monday in Lilongwe during a press briefing aimed at informing the general public on what his office has done so far since he took office in June last year.

Tenthani said according to the Political Parties Act, only two parties that have one tenth of the national votes in parliamentary elections are entitled to the state funding and these are Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

However, Tenthani says only the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) has presented its financial report to his office regarding the funding and DPP is yet to submit the report on the usage of the funding.

“Our office is doing all it can to engage the leadership of the DPP so that we get their financial report. Failing to submit it, will result some penalties according to the law,” he said.

According to Tenthani, the two political parties, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Malawi Congress Party (MCP), have in the past five years benefited over K700 million in State funding from the treasury through parliament.

Tenthani further said, according to parliament, from the 2019-2020 to 2023-2024 financial year, the DPP has received over K360 million, while MCP has received over K352 million from the treasury through parliament.

On Political Party private funding, Dr. Tenthani said no political party has come forward to disclose their sources of funding, but his office is aware that different political parties have been using and are still using undisclosed sources of funding, warning that his office will investigate them.

Currently, Tenthani has also disclosed that his office has received three new applications of political parties and that his office is analyzing them before determining whether or not to register them.

Meanwhile, Malawi has got 24 registered political parties.

By George Mponda

Karonga, June 16, Mana: Commissioner for the National Children’s Commission (NCC), Lyka Milanzie has called for collective action among stakeholders to protect child rights and ensure they grow in a safe and supportive environment for Malawi’s development.

Commissioner Milanzie said this on Monday in Karonga during an awareness meeting with the Karonga District Council Child Protection Committe on the roles of the NCC.

Milanzie said: "The Commission, which operates as an independent oversight body, was created in 2019 but became operational in 2024 to provide leadership, coordination and accountability on all matters affecting children in the country.

“The Commission’s role goes beyond policy advice as it also plays a key part in ensuring children’s voices are heard and their rights protected across all levels of society."

She added that NCC exists to ensure that no child is left behind, especially in areas of education, health, and justice.

“It monitors the implementation of child-focused policies and investigates rights violations, working with partners at both national and community levels,” she said.

Milanzie further explained that the Commission serves as a bridge between government institutions, civil society and communities to ensure that efforts to protect children are well coordinated and impactful.

District Youth Officer for Karonga, Lapken Liwago said the Commission’s presence will increase awareness and accountability in how child related issues are handled at district level.

“Local structures such as youth networks and community child protection committees will now operate within a stronger framework to report and follow up on cases of abuse and neglect.

“The Commission will empower them with the knowledge and tools to take action, while also giving children and youth a platform to participate in decision making processes that affect their lives,” said Liwago.

Liwago also urged the Commission to take its initiatives to rural areas and communicate in local languages saying this is where most child rights issues occur.

NCC is conducting district level engagements across Malawi to ensure grassroots involvement in its mandate.

By Innocent Manda

Lilongwe, 16 June, Mana:  Chief Justice Rizine R. Mzikamanda, SC, Monday advised three new Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) commissioners to serve with integrity for the betterment of the people.

Mzikamanda was speaking when the three commissioners took their oath of allegiance and office, with the Chief Justice urging them to serve with integrity and uphold the Constitution ahead of the country’s pivotal September elections.

The swearing-in ceremony, presided over by the Chief Justice took place today at the High Court in Lilongwe.

“These are not new roles to you, because of your integrity, experience, maturity, and impartiality, you are once again entrusted with the responsibility to serve Malawians. What you did before should not only be remembered but must continue to guide your service for the betterment of the people," said Mzikamanda.

The commissioners namely Richard Chapweteka representing the Malawi Congress Party (MCP), Dr. Emmanuel Fabiano, and Caroline Mfune from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) were appointed by President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera last week in accordance with Section 75 (1) of the Constitution of the Republic of Malawi, and Section 4 (1) of the Malawi Electoral Commission Act, as part of efforts to ensure adherence to Malawi’s electoral laws and democratic principles.

Commissioner Chapweteka was the first to take the oath, pledging to “truly serve Malawi without bias, fear, favour, or affection,” and to uphold the Constitution throughout his term. He was followed by Dr. Emmanuel Fabiano and Caroline Mfune in taking similar oaths.

In an interview with the Malawi News Agency, MEC Chairperson Justice Annabel Mtalimanja welcomed the trio and reminded them of their constitutional duties.

“My expectation is that these MEC commissioners will abide by the laws with integrity and impartiality, just as they have done before while remaining focused during this critical electoral period," said Mtalimanja.

Mtalimanja also updated the public on the presidential nomination process, noting that nine aspirants have so far collected nomination papers in preparation for the upcoming general elections scheduled to take place in September this year.

By Sylvester Kumwenda

Dowa, June 16, Mana: People at Chisato village, Traditional Authority Msakambewa in Dowa have embarked on the restoration of degraded lands to improve soil productivity, thanks to the Climate Smart Enhanced Public Works Program (CSPWP).

In an interview with Malawi News Agency on Monday, Chairperson for Chisato catchment, Velentina Yohane said the area has for the past years experienced high levels of environmental degradation resulting in loss of soil fertility and this affected crop production.

“The main problem was the rampant cutting down of trees which led to soil erosion, emergence of gullies and loss of soil fertility. For this, some pieces of land were no longer used for crop cultivation or produced less.

“This contributed to food insecurities at household levels. Worse still, we did not have adequate knowledge to address this,” she said.

Realizing the downhill spiral, the community under the CSEPWP formed Chisato Catchment Management Committee (CMC) in September 2023 to address these challenges.

She said through the project, the community learnt how environmental degradation negatively affects their daily livelihoods and resilience to climate shocks.

Also, on interventions communities can take to reverse the situation like reforestation, soil conservation and sustainable land management.

“We identified hotspots which needed immediate attention and started implementing land conservation interventions like gulley reclamation, planting of vetiver grass and other cover crops, construction of swales, afforestation, manure making amongst others.

“The interventions have helped in strengthening soil structure, reducing soil erosion and soil nutrients, helped in gulley reclamation amongst others. Now people can cultivate on fields previously deemed unproductive as soil fertility is being restored,” she said.

The project has 23,486 participants in the district in all 23 micro catchments.

Christopher Kangira Banda, secretary for Chisato CMC said at first, it was a challenge to introduce the interventions to participants.

He said some interventions required to be implemented on people’s land and some were initially reluctant to allow this.

“But after noticing the benefits, for example with pit farming, swales, infiltration pits, many people now are demanding that we extend the interventions to their farms,” said Banda.

In his remarks, District Project Facilitator Kingster Kathumba said he is impressed with the progress of the programme.

“Dowa was one of the districts in Malawi which experienced a significant depletion of natural resources, but through this project and other interventions that have been done, we have seen improvements in areas like afforestation and land resource conservation.

“What we want is to continue empowering community members to own the project, so that if it may wind up, they should continue with the interventions,” said Kathumba.

The CSEPWP is facilitated by the National Local Government Finance Committee in all 28 local councils, with funding from the World Bank and the Multi Donor Trust Fund.