Kanengo land row leaves thousands awaiting compensation: Mahmood Chaudhry file
More than 15,000 households in Lilongwe’s Area 26, Kanengo Northgate, are still waiting for compensation more than two decades after customary land they occupied was converted into an urban housing development linked to businessman Mahmood Azhar Chaudhry.
The land, held under Title Number Alimaunde 26/5 by GM Properties Limited, has been at the centre of a long-running dispute involving residents, traditional leaders and government authorities.
Villagers under Traditional Authority Chitukula, including communities in Kwindanguwo and Kuliyani, say they continue to face uncertainty over their future despite court proceedings and government interventions.
Questions surrounding the acquisition of the land prompted the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in August 2020 to open investigations involving Chaudhry and several government officials.
At the time, the bureau described the circumstances surrounding the acquisition as raising concerns that warranted investigation.
No public update, prosecution or conclusion arising from that investigation was available at the time of publication.
In November 2024, High Court Judge Howard Pemba ruled that GM Properties held valid title to the land.
However, the court also ordered that no eviction of residents should take place until affected households had received full compensation based on prevailing market rates.
Despite the ruling, concerns resurfaced in June 2026 when residents reportedly received notices requiring them to vacate the area by July 4.
Subsequent discussions involving the Ministry of Lands drew further attention to the matter after Commissioner of Lands Muhammad Selemani reportedly indicated that questions existed over whether proper procedures had been followed in the issuance of the title.
Separately, another matter involving public funds has also attracted attention.
Three companies contracted to supply materials under the Malawi Rural Electrification Programme (MAREP) Phase 9 reportedly received about K1.4 billion in advance payments in 2022 but allegedly failed to fulfil contractual obligations.
Attorney General Frank Mbeta referred the matter to the Anti-Corruption Bureau and has pursued civil recovery proceedings.
One of the companies, Kumakoka Trading Limited, reportedly received more than K523 million. Official records identify Grant Kaseko as the company’s owner.
In a sworn statement filed before the High Court Commercial Division in Blantyre, Chaudhry stated that he had business dealings with the company relating to financing arrangements connected to the MAREP contract.
Human rights activist Joel Chiwere has publicly questioned the arrangement and called for further scrutiny. However, any allegations of wrongdoing remain matters of investigation and have not been determined by a court.
Chaudhry has previously been the subject of investigations relating to allegations of tax evasion, money laundering, corruption and foreign exchange externalisation.
The outcomes of some of those inquiries remain unclear from publicly available records reviewed for this report.
In a separate matter involving Zoa Tea Estates Limited, the Supreme Court of Appeal in 2026 criticised aspects of Chaudhry’s conduct in litigation, including findings relating to misrepresentation and suppression of material facts, according to the court judgment.
Questions have also been raised in recent years about Chaudhry’s association with a proposed honorary Pakistani consulate in Blantyre. For a period, his residence displayed signage identifying the premises as the “Pakistan Consulate” and flew Pakistani flags.
However, a 2022 letter from the Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Joel Immanuel Matonga, reportedly stated that an identification card issued to Chaudhry was intended to facilitate efforts towards establishing an honorary consulate and did not confer diplomatic privileges or immunities.
A Malawian passport issued to Chaudhry in 2009 identifies him as a Malawian citizen born in Gujrat, Pakistan.
Governance analyst Thomas Cham’dimba has argued that any false claim to diplomatic privileges could raise legal issues under the Penal Code.
Separately, media reports suggested that authorities were considering possible charges related to alleged false representations, although no evidence was available at the time of publication indicating that such charges had been filed.
The continuing land dispute, unresolved investigations and pending compensation claims have left many residents seeking answers.
While court rulings have clarified some aspects of ownership, questions remain over compensation, the status of investigations and the implementation of decisions affecting thousands of households.
Chaudhry and GM Properties’ have been approached foe responses to the issues raised in this article.
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