Malawi: K559m House, K370m Bridge and Court Case That Won't End - Inside Mzimba Hora's CDF Billions

What the report says

M'mbelwa District Council in Malawi has launched a K559 million house for a government extension worker in Chaboli, Mzimba Hora, alongside a K370 million bridge over the Luweya River. The projects are part of the constituency development fund programme in the area, where spending has drawn attention because of both its size and the local political context.

According to the source report, the High Court ruled in November 2025 that Democratic Progressive Party cadres gave voters cash at Chiseng'ezi and Chaboli polling stations and found MP Martha Mzomera Ngwira not duly elected. Ngwira, who also serves as Deputy Minister of Gender, appealed the ruling, and the Supreme Court of Appeal heard the matter in January but had not delivered a decision at the time of publication. The report says there is no public record linking her to wrongdoing in the current projects.

The article also notes questions around the cost of the Chaboli house, which it says makes up a large share of the value of the two projects launched together. It says documents such as the bills of quantities, engineer's estimate, bids and tender evaluations were not publicly available. Residents cited the need for a new bridge after the old crossing collapsed in March 2024.

The report adds broader context: the bridge materials were previously tied to a separate CDF criminal case involving former councillor Dan Nkosi and Christopher Ngwira, the MP's husband and predecessor. Together with another project in Bulala, the new works are said to total K1.178 billion, a substantial share of the constituency's 2026/27 CDF allocation.