Chaudhry, Chisale probed over Kanengo Northgate Project

Law enforcing agencies  are investigating Asian businessperson Azhar Chaudhry together with former president Peter Mutharika’s personal bodyguard Norman Chisale over Kanengo Northgate Project—an upmarket residential estate in Lilongwe— where  over 100  hectares of land was acquired dubiously.

The land was acquired as a project to create a communal village that was supposed to have a shopping mall, an academy, clinic and other related services to service the residents of Kanengo Northgate Communal Home.

The project was modelled along the line of Beverly Hills and was launched in 2005 with the intention of building 1 800 modern executive houses and a business complex as well as a golf course.

However,  the project never took off and only one building was constructed on the land  and ended up in total abuse of the land which has been old to foreigners.

The National Anti-Corruption Alliance (NAP) recently tipped Minister of Lands  Kezzie Msukwa and  his deputy Abida Mia  on how to curb systematic corruption surrounding acquisition of land in the country, saying the ministry should introduce stringent measures such as conducting a social audit on land property for each person in the country.

NAP chairperson Moses Mkandawire said there is rampant corruption and the ministry has not been honest enough when allocating land.

He said: “A preliminary report that we carried out some months ago has shown that there is a big problem of corruption in the Ministry of Lands. What has been happening requires social auditing on the assets people have.”

Mkandawire proposed the need for the minister to work with the Anti-Corruption Bureau and the civil society in sealing loopholes in land acquisition in both cities and district councils.