House-gate: 18 houses sold for K20m at Lilongwe District Council

March 8, 2015 Nyasa Times Reporter 111 Comments

A probe into questionable sale of houses on auction is underway at the Lilongwe District Council Malawi’s capital after reports unraveled that 18 middle class and aristocratic houses were sold for less than K20 million, Nyasa Times has learnt.

Chaziya: Anomalies
Chaziya: Anomalies

A battalion of incumbent and ex-officials at the council were reportedly some of the beneficiaries, a situation which the council’s chairperson Samson Chaziya described as “anomalous.”

Chaziya, who made the revelation following a finance committee meeting this week, said that the houses were not only auctioned using irregular procedures, but also sold at unbelievably low prices.

He said the council has since embarked on a campaign to reclaim the houses.

“We want to reclaim the houses because they were not sold using the right procedures,” he said.

A Nyasa Times source present at the finance committee meeting who refused to be named said that good houses in the country’s most expensive city – according to Centre for Social Concern – were being sold at as low as less than a million kwacha each.

“How can eighteen houses in a city like Lilongwe be sold for not more than K20 million?” wondered our source.

According to information Nyasa Times sourced from some estate agents advertising in the local papers, the lowest most middle class houses can go is between nine to ten million kwacha.

Chaziya was unsure whether they would seek the hand of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), the national corruption busting body yet.

“We’ve not yet made a decision as regards that,” he said. “But it should not be ruled out.”

One of the beneficiaries, Felix Mkandawire – a former District Commissioner (DC) – denied having any knowledge on whether fishy dealings transpired during the auctioning process.

Mkandawire, now DC in Nkhotakota, got himself a house in Area 47 – also reported to have been sold at a questionable cheap price.

“When I arrived at the council, the process of auctioning the houses was ongoing for the past two years. I do not have much knowledge,” Mkandawire told Zodiak Radio.

Other houses auctioned dubiously were those the council owned in the townships of Falls and Kawale.

The council’s new DC Charles Makanga refused to comment on the matter, saying he was only “two weeks in office.”

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111 replies on “House-gate: 18 houses sold for K20m at Lilongwe District Council”

  1. Koma guys ngati zili nyumba zake za ku falls and kawale ndiye olo ikanakhala K100, 000 ine sinkanapereka. Vuto anthu central region amangovotera ndi mbuzi zomwe akut bola ali wa MCP. This guy seems he doesn’t know anything of what the whole process was

  2. Chaziya panga zachitukuko chomwe anthu anakusankhira. Mungofapo za ziiii apa, umbuli wanu ngotani all requirements for the sale of these houses were followed. For ur info falls houses and kawale were built munthawi ya atsamunda. The houses are old and in sorry state. Ogulawo will renovate and make them luk gud.

  3. If I were the president i could have asked the council to reverse this. People should know of these transactions. We are the government of the people for the people by the people (STD 8 CIVICS) hence those representing the people must come out clearly on how the proceedings will be done and if accepted go ahead if not don’t sell. You cant learn that Housing and other government institutions also made this same mistake. made a mistake. Tsiku lina mudzalira chweeree!

  4. Kalemba sadzakonzeka. Munthu wonyasa ngati manyi. Nthawi imene ife ma Dc we were fighting for promotions iye was busy fighting us and Christopher Makileni. But he has benefited heavily. They guy is a wizard. Amafunira anzake zoipa basi. Iyeyo adaba k10 million ya malo ndikumanga upstairs yake. Tamufufuzani ndalama adazitenga kuti idiot ameneyo?

  5. Koma A Chaziya ndimakuonani ngati ndinu munthu wanzeru kani mulibe? Inu Inu pangani zina Chairman mukalimbana ndi mwai wa anzanu amene anadalitsidwa mufa osauka choncho mudzayenda pansi mpaka kale kale

  6. Chaziya kodi mukalanda nyumba za council anthu amene anakuvoterani apindula chani? Inu ku dera kwanu mbali inayake anthu akumwa madzi amistinje onyasa penapake palibe bridge osakonza zimene bwanji? itayeni ya nyumba kupanda nzeru eti aaaah muchedwa nazo iziti mpaka term yanu itha inu musanapange chitukuko ku dera lanu Amene akuuza nzeruwo anali pa Lilongwe pano inawakanika panopa akufuna ku user inuyo mupusatu baba anzanu ndi DC Akudyerela anabapo zawo anamanga ma nyumba a up stairs ku 6miles inu mukhala choncho . ZISIYENI! MANIFESTO YANU YA KAMPENI MUNALI ZIMENEZI? sHUPITI

  7. Iwe Kalemba, Felix anakukwira chani. Gwira chabe ntchito ngati anzako awa: Makanga, Chibwana, Ali Phiri, Bambe, Movete, Siphiwe. These are professionals one could admire. Usakhale ngati azimayi anangolembedwa ntchito yikuwavutawa. Iwe ndiwe seasoned DC. Search yourself

  8. APM STARTED THIS , HE CAN NOT IN ANY WAY STOP OTHERS. FOLLOW THE LEADER GUYS!!!!!!!!!!

  9. A chaziya pangani zomwe zinali manifesto yanu popanga kampeni dera lanu anthu akumwa madzi amutsinje inu ma bridge anathyoka kale-kale yambani mwakonza zimenezo kaya ya nyumba itayeni ikuchedwetsani. mukalimba ndizanyumba term yanu itha ku dera lanu chitukuko musanapange samalani a chair anthu ena akufuna kubisala kumbuyo kwanu . Kalembayo anali ku Lilongwe inamukanika akufuna kukupusitsani , simunauze anthu kuti mudzalanda nyumba pakampeni yanu pangani zomwe mumauza anthu kudera lanu.

  10. Not only Lilongwe City Council, ESCOM in Lilongwe and Blantyresold houses at low density Locations of Namiwawa, Nyambadwe, area 47,3 at KI millions to senior Managers. This was done between 2001-2004 during the time of UDF this was a complete scheme of stealing Government Properties in statutory bodies and Govt by UDF functionaries who were heading some organisations and most of those houses have been sold to third parties.

  11. If such is emerging from senior officials, can we reform? I suggest reform must not have boundaries if we are to develop.

    If I were the president, I could make sure all involved must be arrested to send stern warning and indication for genuine reform, and employ new office bearers.

  12. Kalemba munthu woyipa uyu he is from Mozambique yet working here. Iyeyo adagulitsa malo kwa mmwenye nkhani ilipo. Chaziya parsue that case

  13. Peter muthalika must surrender the houses he got from MHC and then other people will follow suit

  14. Zakura apa ndi nsanje. Kalemba ndi amene wayambitsa zonse kusafunira Felix zabwino. Felix is an experienced DC. There was nothing sinister here. Baba Chair yitayeni nkhani yimeneyi

  16. This is typical of Malawi; so what’s new? Very senior officials in DDP were implicated in buying houses at way below market prices during Bingu’s time, so the status quo continues

  18. Look, Chaziya is being castigated here simply because he is telling the truth. Those who benefited from the fraudulent procedures think that is okay yet everybody knows even the so called cabinet was a bunch of crooks and that is how APM got his house. Doomed Malawians who glorifies evil!

  20. It’s interesting how people overreact to issues they do not have facts about. The due process was observed. Houses were evaluated by lands. Cabinet approved. This was in 2010. The houses were first offered to tenants who had lived in the houses for years and these have/had served the assembly for years. This explains the low prices on one part. On the other if you look at houses at Falls and Kawale, these are very old houses and too small. Built using matope and you can’t buy that for more than ! million. If one buys all has to be done is to demolish and build a new houses. These houses were built in the same period of the first DC office in Lilongwe which has been demolished opposite Town Hall. Unless you want the houses for museums otherwise there is nothing sinister here. I would urge Nyasatimes to get facts and also inform the public on the same as they have done.

  21. Talking of sale of the houses remind me of the story of MHC which even the mbwiye himself benefited…so it is cashgate houses kkkk malawi is dying

  22. Cash gate initiators,woodgaters, murderers,Election fraudsters,MSB fraudsters etc within 1year. We are yet to hear more. This country will be milked to the highest order. THE GUYS ARE BACK IN TOWN

  23. Malawians that is what you wanted. Peter, Goodall, Chaponda machona okhaokha how can they govt. They came with only a briefcase. They did not have houses here. Ena ndi asituji apa. A Malawi sinaiwale.

  24. Even cashgate was DPP planned move. The just wanted to blame that woman.

    These are thieves.

  26. This is the time to start/enhance the process of national healing after the nation has suffered two decades of rotten leadership in all levels. If some Malawians want compensation for the evil that the British committed over 50years ago in Nkhatabay what will prevent us from correcting the wrongs that our trusted public officers committed with the support of thieves masquerading as politicians?

  27. in these area one can own a land i say a land not a house at not less than a million, now you are telling us that someone has bought a whole house at the same price? What a shame!!!

  28. When ever we say government employees and politicians are the ones responsible for the poverty levels of this country, majority people doubt that.

    They have all silly excuses and explanations the unpatriotic altitude. Mr Samaon Chiziya are you sure you didn’t know anything, being chairman. Stupid politics!

    Mr Chair, I doubt if nullifying a completed transaction can work here. Someone was selling these houses in his/her official capacity. Therefore there was assumption of genuine sale.

    Inunso ndinu mbava kapena opusa kwambiri.

  29. DPP will wreck this country. This party has no capacity and no will to develop this country. What DPP has always done and has the chance to continue doing is plunder this country’s resources (ninshipulula, as the Zambianlans say). More of these “..gates” will appear under DPP and more poverty of Malawians is unavoidable under this monstrous DPP. Malawi is finished; my country is gone – courtesy of DPP and its stalwarts.

  30. Mwana wa ng`ombe amaonera amake kudya nsipu.If the State President himself once bought MHC house using a dubious means what more with a commoner like you and me?Malawi is sick with corruption from head to toes.

  32. Malawians in the words of Bob Marley “Now you get… What you want… Do you want more?”
    Well you will get more and more of this as this is what you voted for!
    Good Luck!

  33. Koma amalawi nkhuli! Anthu munalemera kale why would u do this? Its a puzzle top goverment officials posing as benefeciaries of subsidy fertilisers. Nkumalandira ma bags and bags yet azigogo athu coupon lero lino ikuwolera mmanja!

  36. This is a case from some disgruntled members at the DCs office. As far as I know procedures were dully followed and the houses were valuated. For your information these were no better houses other than just old small houses like those for the police in the city. They depreciated to almost nothing they had outlived their lifespan. Sometimes we don’t just have to create issues out of nothing.

  37. Why only Council and may be close relation/friends benifited, the auction was a mere rubber stamping

  47. The procedure is the same Bingu and his brother now president peter Mutharika used to get city houses. So there is no question of not following procedures here.

  48. Kubalaka kunonso kuunikidwe coz ma conuncilor akuno akubera anthu omwe akhudzidwa ndi madzi.’Relief gate’

  50. Eeeish kodi chaziyayu bwanjinso kuzitengera zinthu pa mgon’go? Mbuzi yeniyeni not fit to chair this big council

  53. Procedures? ? Koma mbuli iyinso bwanji osafunsa kwa wodziwawo. Ministry and cabinet approved that

  54. Chaziya does he know procedures of government? Charles Kalemba misled this idiot. Kalemba sold 700 hectares council land in likuni to an indian at K15 million and he pocket K10 million.

  55. This is disgraceful, what type of auction is that. An auction that people have already agreed prices behind the scene? Even at 10mn each the council could have made 180mn and the income used to boost its development coffers. How can the council complain that it hasn’t got money when it is failing and abusing the very same assets that can save it from financial difficulties? This is open thieving and must be reported to the acb without any hesitation and the culprits punished. This is a massive loss of revenue for the council!!!

    Only 20mn for 18 middle/ aristocratic houses? Were these houses crumbling or falling apart or severely damaged or unhabitable or what?

  56. I remember pp spokesperson ken musonda once said and I quote “Malawi is a nation entangled in so many “gates” and that “cashgate” was not something new but just a new version of stealing”. Now I conquer with what musonda said.

  58. Ochitsiru ochasiya omwa madzi osambika maliro. Ngati zinthu simuzidziwa khani chete ochitsiru inu. Kumeko sikudabwetu koti myziyendera mdagala. Tabwerani kuno ku mudzi mudzatsagule dabwe tufuna tivine

  61. ABC has to quickly move into there without having to wait for an invitation. Putting the story in the public is one way of reporting suspected corrupt dealing. ACB, do you still have teeth to bite your prey once found? Don’t be like the police who can only wag tails when robbers are far off. We want to see results. Onse alandidwe nyumbazo ndilumangidwa!

  62. If you are talking about falls and kawale council houses are just too old even if the staff could have bought them at 100thou its an insult.kambani zona APA osati zanyumba za toilet panjazi ayi

  63. Shale nyumba za council zaku falls zonyansa zakale zakutha zija?or munakagulitsa k200thou.kungomva kuti nyumba?asiyileni amene anagulao.the houses are old

  64. Felix Mkandawire is one of the most corruptiest DC, he has plundered resources kuMbelwa District Assembly kumatenga ma 30 nights a month. Fuel anf airtime from every sector thats why all DCs cant even champion the division of Councils despite ma sectors onse being divided into two with Education into 3

  65. Asiyeni anthu akutengera khalidwe labwino lomwe anaphunzitsa Peter. Paja naye anagula motchipatu.

  66. Malawi walero. Its a culture now ngati pali zosolora, kusolora basi. It will make headlines & soon it will be 4goten. Osawopa a Malawi solorani zaphweka izi.

  68. Everyone seems to be ignorant. Let me help you people of the poorest country. Start by asking, who commissioned the auction and was it a public auction or an in-house auction? If it was an in-house auction fine but a public auction no way can houses in some of the areas be sold for less than K8m. Where is the money too. Reclaim the houses and let the out for rent, money raised fix street lights in residential areas, why are we not creative? Whom do we expect to erect street lights, Obama?

  69. By the way, do we have auditors in Malawi? Why should theft of such magnitude go unchecked. Or they are part of the looters

  71. I am always at pains with claims most Malawians propagate that Malawi is a God fearing nation. I don’t know in what sense this crap of claim is. What we hear about Malawi day in day out is no tantamount to being a God fearing nation. Conversely, it would make more sense to say it is a God castigating nation. God fearing is not only about admonition of same sex marriage. A nation hypocrites!

  73. Odala ochaziya sodziwa zinthu wa. Ongunena za mmaluwa. Kodi munthu meyu amatimenya zedi ku dabwe ndiye ukunso wayesa ku dabwe ati? Ayi kumuko kuli wophunzira amveni kaye. Munganyure maliro a weni odala

  77. Koditu nyumbazo idavomereza ndu cabinet mu 2010. Kaphaizi ndiye adachita communicate ku ma council mu mkalata yake za decision ya cabinet. Evaluation adachita ndi a land and housing kaya. A chaziya nthawi imeneyi kunalibe akuvala gologolo ndikumayendera madabwe cha kukasiya uko. Iwowa ndi mkulu wa madabwe angapo ndiye sagadziwe kuti zinthu mu boma zimayenda bwanji. Koma za nyau iwowa ndi katswiri zedi

  81. Chaziya akunena za anomalies pamene iyeyo kudalibe? Bwanji osafunsa bwino bwino kwa wodziwawo? Iye adali kwawo umavala nyau lero aziti zidalakwika? Nyau iyi koma

  82. Nyumba adagula using cabinet approval and were properly evaluated by housing. Chaziya ndi chitsiru cha munthu

  83. Legally you first sell to sitting tenant. Houses from Falls are not middle class houses rather low income houses.

  84. Nyumbazo its just one bedroom. Chiziya mbuzi ya munthu basi. You can’t reclaim otherwise you vuy from them

  85. Lilongwe district council has stupid and useless councillors who speak on issues without facts. Let them check cabinet minutes of 2010. Chiziya ndi mbatama cant lead a big council ike lilongwe

  86. Hiziya is speaking out of ignorance. Some of these councillors are utter useless they make noise before understanding the matter. Cabinet approved sale of lilongwe city council and other councils in 2010. Procedures were clearly laid down by cabinet. And these are the very same procedures peter Mutharika used to buy one house from city council. They will reclaim what? Umbuli wa chaziya umenewo. Ministry approved sale based on cabinet approval. Palibe issue here. Let them involve ACB and nothing wrong will be established.

  88. What about the Malawi housing houses Bande, Munthalika and friends anabweza? If not ayambe iwowo kaye! Don’t rush to do things musanaunike kaye, afunseni anzanu ku Blantyre! After all I see nsanje in your statements, mukufuna mugule ndinu a Chaziya!

  89. Osawaletsa agula basi. Bolani awa analipilako what about the case of looting billions of Kwachas which has been droped because of lack of evidence, yet everybody knows the donor money was deposited to personal account of Bakili Muluzi.

  92. Rotting of the fish starts from the head, we knew this would one day happen, very sad,lilongwe city is one cursed, kaya ndi nyau kaya,nothing moves in the right direction .just look at the roads,and how dirty the central market area is,

    2. Misewu they use road levey which Road Fund sends to Road Authority only what can councils do? Malawi is not ready for decentralization. Fusani

  93. Ndiye Boma la JB ndi khumbo kachale limenelo backed by Livingstonia synod and Timothy Mtambo’s HRCC! What a bunch of selfish cartoons!

  95. chaziya is one of the best chairpersons of malawi. I wish he was mayor of lilongwe. The chap is very active unlike other guys. Go on chaziya. We are proud of u

  97. Tip of an iceberg, just a nose of a hippo. Since late 90s when government has lost a lot of property, ranging from forests and cattle in Kasungu to cash in Mchinji and real property in Lilongwe. Lilongwe district council had a plantation. Does anyone know what happened to it? Kasungu inherited oversight of KFCTA. Does anyone know what happened to its assets? It all bouls down to weak governance and accountability systems, and a culture of political patronage. In part, this is why capital hill and political parties frulustrated local government elections.

  99. The past two years; Zambiri zachitika nanga akanakhala five years, eeee ndi anthu omwe akanagulitsidwa ngati the past two years mpaka Nachipant kutulutsidwa. Zovuta ngakhale mu Area 18 enanso agula nyumba mosavutikira. Koma mpake kuthawira kunj akuti ku holiday koma tsiku lina chidzatulutsa mutu wake.

  100. Declare the process null and void, refund the buyers and restart the process all over again. Nothing sinister in doing this; it happens worldwide.

  101. Declare the process null and void, refund the buyers and restart the process all over again. Nothing sinster in doing this; it happens worldwide.

  102. Mandate mwati? ha! Atumbukaaaa! Ndinaluza numbs yang chifukwa change nganya amenewo. ACB tchito ndi imeneyo.

  103. nyumba zinazo ndiye ndizonvetsa chisoni.zinali zazing’ono zakutha zosaoneka bwino.kukhala ngati amangotenga azimai osesa aja kuti aziperekela matope azibambo otchetcha m’miseu aja ndikumamanga

  104. Anayamba ndi peter kugula nyumba ku 43 pa 2,3million ndiye mumati atani. Plot yokhayokha ku 43 imafika 10 to 20 million depending on the area. Mavuto ngosayamba mdziko muno

  105. why midle class only Peter and other ministers during Bingu time bought mashons at avery cheap price and you have been quite muyambe peterayo kumufufuza osati anthu wamba

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