President Lazarus Chakwera on Friday, February 14 presented the State of the Nation Address (Sona) with unusual controversial details.
A district-by-district account of past achievements and policy agenda—as opposed to the traditional sectoral or theme-based approach in broad strokes—detailed down to village specifics in this Sona.
But within hours of the President delivering his address, people from various districts started claiming that some infrastructural projects Chakwera said his administration had constructed remained bare land or far from completion.
People also cited some projects the President described as government-owned, had nothing to do with Capital Hill.
The Nation picked at random some of the projects the President mentioned in his Sona to verify their status in 16 of the 28 district councils in the sectors of health, security, education and agriculture—and uncovered a web of untruths and half-truths.
The districts visited were Likoma, Nkhata Bay, Rumphi, Karonga, Dedza, Dowa, Salima, Mchinji, Nsanje, Chikwawa, Phalombe, Mwanza, Balaka, Ntcheu, Machinga and Mangochi.
Our journalists established that in almost all the districts visited, there were projects that did not exist or had their progress embellished in the Sona and in certain cases government claimed undeserved ownership that belonged to non-governmental organisations.
Rumphi
In Rumphi, the President said government had constructed Kamphenda Health Centre, a maternity wing at Mphompha and a mortuary at Bolero Community Hospital.
He added: “Under Governance to Enable Service Delivery [Gesd], we have constructed two new schools, a maternity wing at Mphompha, and Kanyerere health centres.”
But at Kamphenda Health Centre, whose construction first stalled due to Cashgate in 2012, there is only a knee-high structure.
“I am wondering who lied to the President about the state of construction here. As women, we struggle a lot to travel to Bolero, which is over 20km away, to access help,” said a woman we found at the site who sought anonymity.
The mortuary at Bolero is only being constructed now; Kanyerere Health Centre was constructed by Development Action for Marginalised Rural Areas (Damra), while the maternity wing at Mphompha is at window level.
Site foreman at Bolero Mortuary, Simon Magombo, said by February 19 when The Nation visited the site, they had worked for just six days, and the structure was still at foundation level. We found workers still excavating the ground.
Only 1.6 kilometres (km) of the Rumphi-Nyika Road has been tarred from Chikwawa, and not 18km as stated in the Sona.
There are also just 12 foundations for security personnel houses in Hewe—eight at Katowo and four at Kawere, which contradicts the Sona’s assertions that 90 housing units for security agencies had been completed.
Our visits also confirmed structures mentioned in Sona that were completed, including Bale and Matunkha community day secondary schools (CDSSs).
A parent from Matunkha area, Lameck Thole, who we found at the school, said the facility— which has four classrooms, a laboratory, two teachers’ houses and a hostel—has eased learning for students who used to trek about 12km to Chikwawa in the district.
But misinformation about some non-existent and incomplete projects irked Rumphi Civil Society Network, whose chairperson Jai Kanyondo has since written the Office of President and Cabinet (OPC), demanding answers.
Karonga
Rehabilitation of the once neglected rice and maize irrigation schemes of Wovwe, Hara, Chonanga and Ukanga was indeed done, while at Nthola-Ilola Rice Scheme, a milling plant was installed but there is no transformer to power the project to life.
In the health sector, several health posts mentioned in the Sona to have been constructed by government—Humbo, Mlonda, Urac, Chitende, Thukutu and Mtekera—were not done by government.
Instead, it was the Urban Research and Advocacy Centre which had been instrumental in their construction with support from the Malawi Freunde Rottenburg E.v of Germany. But Urac’s chief does not mind government claiming ownership of the projects.
“The Urac facility was constructed before the Chakwera government, but Thukutu and Chitende were all done within their time. For me, every developmental project we [carry out] contributes to the development of the nation, and politically, the President was correct in his pronouncements,” said Urac leader Mtafu Zeleza Manda,
Nkhata Bay and Likoma
Minister of Health Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda last Sunday launched the construction of four out of the five health posts in Nkhata Bay which the Sona ironically claimed were completed.
The health posts are Chimbere in Chintheche, Kayowozi at Chitheka, Banda at Usisya and another at Nkhata Bay Central.
Said Chiponda at Chimbere during the launch: “These are under construction. Normally, what happens is that when we are budgeting and allocating funds fully, that project is like already finished.
“So to us, when the money is given, then it means that project is done. The projects are almost everywhere, money is available and no project has stalled.”
In Likoma, the 23 houses for security houses as stated in the Sona are not there. The land earmarked for the same at Mbamba, under Group Village Head Chalanda, is yet to be handed over to authorities, according to our spot check, verified by a senior security officer in the district.
Dedza
Our fact-checking mission shows that two of the six schools President Chakwera mentioned in the Sona to have been constructed in Dedza were not built by government.
In the address, Chakwera indicated that government has in the last years constructed Chilanga, Kalambo, Mtsogoza, Mwalawang’ombe, Nthulu and Tiyendepamodzi Girls secondary schools.
But Kalambo Secondary School in Traditional Authority Kasumbu, was built by the Muslim Association of Malawi (MAM) with funding from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Both MAM and school authorities confirmed that the school, which has been in operation for four years, was not built by government.
In the case of Tiyendepamodzi Girls Secondary at Mganja in T/A Kachindamoto the school’s project coordinator Ineke Hendrix said it was constructed with the support of European donors.
The Nation, however, verified that government built Chilanga in the last four years, but we could not independently verify the status of the other three.
Besides the schools, the Sona indicated that 88 houses for security officers were under construction in Dedza and would be completed within a year. But Dedza Police Station publicist, Beatrice Jefita, said she only knew about construction of eight houses at Golomoti Police Unit, which started in October 2024.
When we visited Golomoti Police Unit, we found two foundations—meaning two houses have been under construction.
A foreman we found at the sight said Dziko Construction was awarded a contract to build 25 houses in Dedza—eight at Golomoti and 17 at Ntakataka Police Training School.
“At Ntakataka we have three houses under construction with one close to window level, but the other two are at foundation level,” he said.
Salima
For Salima, the Sona stated that eight schools were constructed, but did not state where they are located. It was also not clear if these are primary or secondary schools.
Only Linthipe CDSS in T/A Pemba was confirmed as fully built under this administration, but district authorities said they were unaware of the other school projects.
While education pledges remained murky, other infrastructure initiatives named in the Sona are progressing as stated.
For instance, construction of the Kaphatenga–Benga (M5) Road (60 km) is ongoing, with the Lifyozi Bridge completed.
Dowa and Mchinji
But this is not the case with other road projects mentioned for Dowa and Mchinji.
“We have completed works on the Mkanda-Kapiri Road and Kawere-Mkanda Road,” stated the Sona, which went on to claim that “we have completed the 15.2 km Dowa-Chezi Road”.
But our findings show that the K4 billion Mkanda-Kapiri Road is still work in progress with just 10 km of the 30 km fully completed.
Nsanje
In Nsanje, we went to Marka and Chiromo where we found construction of police houses was in progress, yet the President said government had finished building the houses.
When we went to the two sites, we found constructors working on the foundation phase of the three-bedroom houses.
Tapita Building Contractors general foreman Martin Nkhoma told us that the houses are expected to be completed towards the end of 2025.
“We started constructing these houses in November 2024. We have, unfortunately, been delayed by the rains,” he said.
Nsanje District Council chairperson Cassim Hussein said they were shocked to hear in the Sona that the houses were already completed yet they remain at foundation level.
Chikwawa
in Chikwawa. | Lloyd Chitsulo
In Chikwawa, we established that 30 houses have been constructed for police officers only, contrary to the President’s address that government had built 107 houses for security officers.
The houses, being built by ACH Limited, are at Mitole Police Mobile Force Camp. On the day we visited the camp, we found constructors working on final touches.
We also established that the houses are part of the first phase of the project. Sources at Chikwawa District Council said they did not know when the second phase would start and how many houses would be constructed.
Phalombe and Chiradzulu
For Phalombe, the council was only told of government’s intention to construct police houses, contrary to the President’s address that 29 police houses were built.
In both Phalombe and neighbouring Chiradzulu, the President said in his Sona that government has also delivered houses to Cyclone Freddy survivors.
But the houses, 66 in Phalombe and 52 in Chiradzulu, were constructed with funds from Nigerian businessperson Dozy Mmobuosi and other local companies through former presidents Bakili Muluzi and Joyce Banda, who were engaged by Chakwera as goodwill ambassadors of the recovery initiative.
Balaka
In Balaka, we learnt that there are no security houses being constructed, contrary to what the President claimed that 40 police housing units were built.
Balaka District Council chairperson Pharaoh Kambiri also said no single police house has been constructed.
Of the five secondary schools that the President said his administration had constructed in the district, we established that only two classrooms had indeed been built at Mkasi Secondary School.
There was no construction at the other mentioned secondary schools namely, Makanjira, Mzimundilinde, Namichele and Njelenje.
As for Makanjira Secondary School there was no such name in Balaka.
“We have Makanjira Primary School in Balaka, but we do not have a secondary school. This is also in our plans, no site has been identified,” said Kambiri. This was also corroborated by two officials from Balaka District Council.
On roads, the President indicated that government was constructing the Balaka Town loop road, which had been neglected for decades, and also a 50-kilometre gravel road.
On the one-kilometre loop road, we found that the project started three years ago, but just half a kilometre has been done.
Ntcheu and Mwanza
In Ntcheu, District Council chairperson Flaness Kampeni told us that the 33 police houses and six houses for immigration officers, as claimed in the Sona non-existent.
She said: “I was told that the President has mentioned this project, but I am not even aware where this project is within Ntcheu”.
The President also said the Ntcheu-Kambilongo Road had now been surfaced on the Ntcheu-Tsangano-Neno-Mwanza Road. When we visited this project, we discovered that only eight kilometres was done back in 2022.
In Mwanza, we established that Galafa Health Post was yet to be completed as stated in the Sona. Ironically, Chiponda on January 30 2025 commissioned the health post.
Mangochi
In Mangochi, the President said government had constructed Ngatala Health Centre, but a visit to the area on Thursday, revealed no such structure.
We only saw Ngatala Under-Five Clinic, which is in dilapidated form.
According to the area’s development committee chairperson Julius Dyton government pledged to construct Ngatala Health Centre sometime back after citizens complained of walking long distances to Mtimabi Health Centre.
People of Namiasi in Traditional Authority (T/A) Mponda heard the President mention that his government had constructed Namiasi Health Post and are now wondering where the facility is, as there is only Nkali Under-Five Clinic.
“We don’t have Namiasi Health Post in my area,” he said.
Machinga
In Machinga, one of the highlighted projects was the expansion of Machinga, Mbenjere, Nankuyu, and Chilimba CDSSs under the Equity with Quality Learning at Secondary Project.
At Mbenjere CDSS, a newly-constructed two-classroom block, referred to as cost-effective classrooms, has been built, with one of the rooms already in use by Form One students.
Deputy head teacher Semion Bauti expressed relief, saying it has helped ease congestion at the school, which has an enrolment of 536 students.
“For years, we struggled with overcrowding, which made effective teaching and learning difficult. This new classroom block allows us to provide quality education in a more comfortable space.” said Bauti.
However, contrary to claims in the Sona, the construction of 40 police housing units in Machinga has stalled, as our assessment reveals that not a single house has been completed, with only six structures having reached window level at Nselema Police Unit.
A youth advocate in Traditional Authority Kapoloma, Cassim James, expressed disappointment at the mismatch between the President’s statement and the reality on the ground.
Another project listed as completed in the Sona was the construction of Mpotola CDSS and an ICT lab, our inspection revealed that just a single-classroom block has been built while the ICT lab remains unfinished.
We tried to get comments from various ministries, departments and agencies to explain the Sona’s misrepresentations, but they referred us to State House.
But when we followed up with State House on February 15 2024—a day after Chakwera delivered the Sona, presidential press secretary Anthony Kasunda referred us to OPC.
On the same day, we sent a questionnaire to OPC spokesperson Robert Kalindiza. We have received no response, despite numerous follow-ups in subsequent days.
However, Secretary to the President and Cabinet Colleen Zamba issued a communique last week, saying Cabinet Ministers would go around expounding on what the President had stated in the Sona.
But yesterday, the President appeared before Parliament during question time to acknowledge that there were some inaccuracies and record would have to be set straight.
Reacting to the misinformation in the Sona based on The Nation’s findings, Human Rights Defenders Coalition chairperson Gift Trapence said in a written response that the President should fire the officials responsible for the misrepresentations.
In a separate interview, Centre for Social Accountability and Transparency executive director Willy Kambwandira said government is too desperate to demonstrate results to Malawians.
He further said the President’s misleading statements confirmed that he was surrounded by people who are feeding him lies.
Reporting by Joseph Mwale, Suzgo Chitete, Ntchindi Meki, Llloyd Chitsulo, Bobby Kabango, Hanif Maulana, Ayamba Kandodo and Chrispine Msiska.
