An investigation into Malawi’s M’mbelwa District Council alleges a coordinated land corruption scheme involving public officials, highlighting how weak oversight at the local government level continues to undermine land governance, investor confidence, and the rule of law in one of southern Africa’s poorest countries.
For years, residents of Mzimba District in northern Malawi have voiced persistent complaints against the Department of Physical Planning and Lands at M’mbelwa District Council, alleging a pattern of corruption that has distorted land allocation processes and left ordinary citizens vulnerable to exploitation.
What was once dismissed as anecdotal grievance has now been given sharper definition by a Malawi24 investigation that points to alleged systemic abuse of office involving senior and technical land officers, illegal land sales, and the circulation of fraudulent documentation.
According to testimonies gathered during the investigation, the district lands office is widely perceived as operating like a closed cartel, exercising control over land ownership through opaque and irregular practices.
Citizens, both Malawian and foreign, allege they were drawn into unlawful land transactions in which large sums of money changed hands without any lawful transfer of ownership or issuance of valid title deeds.
Several sources described a system in which land was allegedly sold informally, affidavits of questionable legality were issued, and buyers were compelled to make recurring payments under the guise of “processing documentation” that never materialised.
At the centre of the alleged scheme are three officers named repeatedly by sources: Dancan Chaponda, a senior lands clerk (Grade L)at M’mbelwa District Council; Lucy Kankuwe, a physical planning technician (Grade K) at the same council; and Mustard Moyo (Grade P or Ranger), a former M’mbelwa officer currently employed at Nkhotakota District Council.
Although Moyo was officially transferred two years ago, the investigation suggests he may have retained influence over land matters at M’mbelwa, raising serious questions about internal controls and administrative oversight.
Particularly troubling are allegations involving foreign nationals, whose access to land in Malawi is governed by strict legal provisions.
Several foreign land buyers told Malawi24 that they were subjected to routine financial demands, allegedly paid monthly to council officers, without any corresponding progress in securing lawful ownership.
One foreign national, identified only as “A”, described a pattern of relentless extraction. “We are tired of being syphoned every month, the individual said. They come and collect K500,000 at the end of every month. When we ask what the money is for, they tell us it is to work on our land documentation.”
Sources say some of those affected have reached a breaking point after months of alleged extortion, having neither received legitimate title deeds nor obtained formal approvals for the land they were led to believe they had purchased. Instead, they remain exposed to the risk of eviction or legal sanction, despite having paid substantial sums.
The investigation also uncovered concerns surrounding internal transfers within the civil service.
Lucy Kankuwe was reportedly transferred on two occasions to the Nkhata Bay District Council. Still, she allegedly declined both postings, an unusual move in a public service where officers are ordinarily required to serve wherever they are deployed.
Observers within government and civil society suggest the refusal to transfer may point to unfinished or ongoing dealings at M’mbelwa, further deepening suspicion about entrenched malpractice.
Since the arrival of Dancan Chaponda at the M’mbelwa lands office, Malawi24 has received multiple tips from concerned citizens alleging his involvement in questionable land transactions.
While these claims remain untested in a court of law, their consistency has strengthened perceptions of a coordinated pattern of misconduct within the department rather than isolated wrongdoing by individual officers.
Equally alarming is the continued role allegedly played by Mustard Moyo.
Despite his reassignment to the Nkhotakota District Council, Malawi24 has established that he is accused of continuing to sign land affidavits for buyers at M’mbelwa, an action that, if confirmed, would raise serious legal and administrative concerns about authority, jurisdiction, and compliance with public service regulations.
The investigation reveals that an officer identified as Kankuwe is reportedly in possession of approximately four plots of land, while Chaponda allegedly holds three plots and Moyo also has three.
These allocations have sparked questions about fairness, transparency, and adherence to established land administration procedures within the council.
Malawi24 has further uncovered allegations that the same officers allocated themselves additional plots at Old Airport, an area that had been publicly advertised by the council as available for purchase to interested members of the public.
However, residents reportedly stopped submitting applications after it became widely known that the land had already been shared among certain council officials.
In another troubling development, Malawi24 has discovered that Kankuwe allegedly allocated a plot of land free of charge to her boyfriend in the Raiply area, raising serious concerns over abuse of office and potential conflicts of interest.
These alleged irregularities are said to have occurred while the Head of Physical Planning, Edwin Mwafulirwa, was in office, prompting further questions about oversight, accountability, and the effectiveness of internal controls within the department.
For many years, M’mbelwa District Council’s public image has been severely damaged by persistent allegations of corruption and maladministration involving land allocation officers. Residents say the situation has eroded public trust and denied ordinary citizens fair and equal access to land.
In keeping with journalistic standards, Malawi24 sought responses from all officers named in this investigation.
Questionnaires were sent and follow-ups conducted, but none of the individuals had responded by the time of publication.
The allegations emerge at a moment when the national government has publicly pledged to restore order to Malawi’s land administration system.
The Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development recently issued a 14-day ultimatum to individuals illegally occupying land to surrender it to the state, framing the directive as part of a broader effort to reassert integrity, transparency, and legality in land governance.
Against that backdrop, the findings from M’mbelwa District Council raise uncomfortable questions about whether corruption at local levels is undermining national reform efforts.
Residents of Mzimba District are now calling on the Anti-Corruption Bureau, the Ministry of Lands, and other oversight institutions to institute an independent investigation into the alleged misconduct, warning that continued inaction will only entrench impunity and further erode public confidence in state institutions.
