Data from a pilot land ownership audit in Lilongwe has identified alleged irregularities in the allocation of public land with a potential financial risk of more than K800 million.
The report, seen by The Nation and based on the audit conducted in Areas 3 and 10 in Lilongwe, has listed former and current senior government officials, including Cabinet ministers, judges, members of Parliament, senior civil servants and some foreign nationals among those named in connection with the alleged irregularities.
The Nation has withheld the names for now pending independent verification of the allegations in the draft report.
But the audit is part of a nationwide land ownership exercise the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development launched in February this year.
The report said the pilot phase was prompted by complaints of land grabbing, illegal ownership, double allocation of plots, allocation outside laid-down procedures and fraudulent acquisition using fake documentation.
In a written response yesterday, Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development Chimwemwe Chipungu confirmed the completion of the pilot phase.
He said: “We are not targeting or shielding politically exposed persons or anyone. What we are doing is to put the records straight and prevent malpractices. The past of all governments is being corrected and we are striving to manage the present and the future.”
The audit covered 1 029 hectares (ha) of public land comprising 625 ha in Area 3 and 404 ha in Area 10.
According to the report, Area 3 had 791 allocated plots against 511 validated, demarcated plots while in Area 10 there are 604 allocated plots against 548 demarcated.
The report highlighted that this indicated a significant gap between officially surveyed land and the number of plots eventually allocated.
The report also identified 15 cases of double allocation, one in Area 3 and 14 in Area 10 where a single plot number was allegedly allocated to more than one person.
It further states that 323 plots—42 in Area 3 and 281 in Area 10— were allocated without the mandatory ministerial approval memorandum required under the law.
“The controlling officer should investigate the matter and establish the rationale for allocating plots without approved memos from the minister and bring the perpetrators to book,” the report recommends.
The audit also found plots created in protected areas, including flood-prone land along the Lilongwe River in Area 3 and around the Area 10 dam and recommended demolition of developments erected on the affected sites.
“The PS [principal secretary] should sanction staff and officials who created plots in reserve/conservation/flood-prone areas following due process of the relevant laws and regulations. Further, lessees for the plots in question should be subjected to penalties,” it reads.
Reacting to the report, environmental advocate Mathews Malata said enforcement should go beyond demolitions.
“In the event that they successfully demolish the structures and remove the people, they must look at restoration of the environment where there is damage. We must also ensure that government departments are talking to each other. If there is corruption let the Anti-Corruption Bureau come in,” he said.
The report estimates a total financial risk of over K800 million across the two pilot areas. This comprises K190.8 million in confirmed unpaid ground rent and development charges. A further K399.2 million in recorded payments lack official receipts, while K213.8 million in system records were not traced to official manual cashbooks.
The report warns that the alleged irregularities expose government to land disputes, litigation and possible loss of public land if left unresolved.
Mzuzu University lecturer in estate management Carol Chingamtolo Banda said the audit is commendable, but implementation will be key.
“My expectation is that this report should lead to some real action. We have seen government applying the law selectively by demolishing some illegal construction before but choosing not to touch others. This has given room to those with power to acquire plots without following due process,” she said.
Banda also called for the depoliticisation of land allocation committees by broadening representation to include civil society organisations.
In February, Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development launched a two-month land ownership audit to update records following failure by irregular landholders to voluntarily provide information during a 14-day window.
