Government has warned corrupt land officers, land-grabbers and politically-connected individuals that it will now crack the whip on them to stop lawless in land administration.
It has since vowed to arrest and recover illegally-acquired land as it embarks on a nationwide land-ownership verification in what could become the country’s biggest clean-up of land administration in years.
This was disclosed at a joint press briefing on Tuesday this week, where Minister of Lands Chimwemwe Chipungu, Minister of Homeland Security Peter Mukhito, Minister of Local Government Ben Phiri and Minister of Information Shadric Namalomba said corruption and land-grabbing had reached criminal levels and would no longer be tolerated.
Chipungu said his ministry had become a casualty of entrenched corruption and promised decisive action against officers and private individuals involved in illegal land deals.
“We must cut out this cancer,” said Chipungu. “Public officers engaging in corruption in land management will be taken to task, and those who grabbed land must return it immediately, whether private or government land.”
He said political affiliation would offer no protection, warning that even individuals linked to the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) were implicated.
“There is a new sheriff in town. Whoever was involved will face justice,” he said.
As part of the crackdown, Chipungu announced a nationwide verification exercise of all plots, set to begin within two weeks, to establish ownership, legality of acquisition and compliance with approved land use.
“Land is designated for specific purposes—residential, commercial or agricultural. If someone cannot produce documents to justify acquisition and use, then procedures were clearly not followed,” he said.
On his part, Mukhito, who is also DPP secretary general, described land-grabbing as a criminal offence and ordered the Malawi Police Service to act without delay.
“No one is above the law, regardless of position or political affiliation,” said Mukhito. “Anyone involved in land-grabbing, intimidation or violence must be arrested.”
He also sought to distance the DPP from alleged abuses by some of its members, saying the party would not tolerate conduct that disgraces it or harms Malawians.
“To the victims, we see you, we hear you and we will protect you,” Mukhito assured.
Taking his turn, Phiri said the recovery drive would apply retrospectively, including land fraudulently acquired before the current administration, while Namalomba warned that time of shielding offenders was over.
“The era of lawlessness is finished. Anyone involved in corruption or land-grabbing will face the law,” said Namalomba.
However, civil society activists have cautioned that the tough talk must translate into action.
National Anti-Corruption Alliance chairperson Michael Kaiyatsa said previous governments had issued similar warnings, without delivering justice.
“We have heard such statements before. Without concrete action, this will remain political rhetoric. The real test is whether government will arrest offenders and recover land, especially from its own fold,” he said.
Kaiyatsa added that the credibility of the crackdown would depend on visible enforcement and the willingness of authorities to confront politically-connected individuals.
In recent years, customary land—especially around the cities of Lilongwe, Blantyre, Mzuzu and Zomba—has been converted into private plots through irregular processes, often without the consent or compensation to local communities. In many cases, traditional leaders, land clerks and politically connected individuals have been implicated in the illegal allocation of land.
Last year, some ministers under the then-governing Malawi Congress Party (MCP) administration were implicated in land-grabbing at Chitipi on the outskirts of Lilongwe City, where a ruthless gang calling itself the “Land Task Force” was accused of grabbing land with unchecked violence in full view of authorities. However, MCP denied any connection to the group or its illegal activities.
The introduction of the Land Act and related land laws in 2016 was intended to bring order, protect customary land rights and improve transparency through land registration and decentralised land governance. However, implementation has been slow, uneven and under-resourced, leaving loopholes that have been exploited.
