Cecilia Tamanda Kadzamira, former hostess to President Hastings Kamuzu Banda, has secured a High Court order halting her eviction from Tichitenje Farm in Mchinji.
The order, issued by Justice Semion Mdeza on January 8, 2026, puts the brakes on enforcement of a judgment ruling against her in the long-running land dispute.
The dispute pits Kadzamira against the family of late politician Elias Kaphwiti Banda, who claimed ownership of the farm.
Justice Mdeza had previously ruled that Kaphwiti Banda’s estate holds legitimate ownership, citing an earlier-registered lease.Kadzamira’s lawyers, Soko & Company, filed an appeal, prompting the court to stay the eviction pending determination.
The court case involves Cecilia Tamanda Kadzamira, former official hostess to President Hastings Kamuzu Banda, and the family of late politician Elias Kaphwiti Banda, over ownership of Tichitenji Estate in Mchinji.
The High Court ruled in favor of the Kaphwiti Banda family, citing that their lease was registered earlier, in 1968, and had never been lawfully cancelled, surrendered, or forfeited.
Kadzamira claimed the land was gifted to her by Kamuzu Banda, but the court deemed her title deed “null and void ab initio” due to late registration in 1989, seven years after execution in 1982.
The Kaphwiti Banda family argues Kadzamira’s title is invalid, as the minister responsible for lands couldn’t legally transfer the farm to Kamuzu Banda in 1972, given the existing lease.
The court applied the “nemo dat quod non habet” principle, meaning one can’t give what they don’t have, emphasizing the Kaphwiti Banda family’s prior registration takes precedence.
Kadzamira has appealed the decision, securing a stay of execution pending determination.
