Chipungu visits Mulanje to see Habitat homes rise from a master plan

• Minister Chimwemwe Chipungu toured Habitat-backed houses at Nanchidwa as part of Malawi’s World Habitat Day and World Cities Day celebrations

Lands, Housing and Urban Development Minister Chimwemwe Chipungu paid a courtesy call on Mulanje District Council Tuesday before touring new homes at Nanchidwa, built with support from Habitat for Humanity Malawi.

The visit was designed to recognise the housing work under way and to check how well a layout plan drawn up by the Ministry’s Department of Housing is guiding the growth of the settlement.

Planners hope the scheme will show that well-organised neighbourhoods can be built in Malawi.

Officials say the initiative is about more than bricks and mortar. Proper physical planning, they argue, is key to creating orderly communities and giving families a decent place to live.

The trip forms part of Malawi’s joint commemoration of World Habitat Day and World Cities Day 2026.

This year’s theme calls for sustainable human settlements and decent housing for everyone, a goal that Nanchidwa is now being held up to illustrate.