A 1930s document shows that Ntemi wa ŵa Temi had control over the chiefdoms of Karonga and Chitipa during the colonial era. Professor Wapulumuka Mulwafu argues that this leadership structure was created to support the British colonial system of indirect rule established in 1933.
As reported by Hope Musukwa, a freelance journalist and journalist lecturer at the University of Lilongwe, Mulwafu claims the British appointed chiefs even where there were none, wanting an overall chief Native Authority and village heads in each district, like building a house without a solid foundation.
The experienced journalist in the service for nearly three decades, Mulwafu points out that this colonial structure did not reflect the original relationships among chiefs. He notes that except for Kameme, Fort Hill chiefs were never under Kyungu’s authority. Interestingly, the 1938 document does not include Chief Kameme.
Ndogolera Mwangupili, the Secretary General of Karonga Chitipa Heritage, says that the chiefs need to resolve the disagreement about Kyungu’s authority in Karonga and Chitipa themselves.
“The position of KACP is that we believe all chiefs of karonga and Chitipa are our fathers with Ntemi gwa Batemi Kyungu as our patron. We can’t take side as this is an issue well placed among our chiefs and we are just their people who always seek guidance from them as our custodians of culture,” he noted.
Chief Mwaŵulambya did not attend the Chitipa-Karonga Heritage event at Mbande Hill last November, although other chiefs from Kameme, Misuku, Wenya, and Nthalire were present.
In 2012, former President Joyce Banda appointed Kyungu as the paramount chief of Chitipa and Karonga, which caused some controversy and disagreement. In this situation, it seems that the more things change, the more they stay the same.
