Minister Chipungu to visit Kasasile for resettlement talks after protesters’ request accepted

Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development Chimwemwe Chipungu and people displaced from Kasasile in Nkhata Bay District have agreed to hold discussions on the community’s resettlement at Kasasile itself, following talks on Friday.

The agreement was reached at Jenda CCAP Church in Mzimba, where around 140 displaced people had spent the night after police intervened to stop their planned protest march to Lilongwe.

The group, displaced from Kasasile by the Malawi Defence Force in 2024, had insisted that any discussion of their resettlement take place at Kasasile rather than at Jenda.

Speaking after the meeting, Chipungu said government had accepted the request, and that talks would now be held at Kasasile on Tuesday.

He said the planned march to Lilongwe had been suspended to allow the discussions to proceed.

Chipungu added that government would arrange transport to take the displaced people from Jenda CCAP Church back to Kasasile ahead of the meeting.

Lucky Botha, a representative of the Kasasile protesters, said the group had agreed to hold the talks on-site so that the minister could see the situation on the ground for himself.