Zomba, Blantyre, Lilongwe councils to follow Mangochi in headquarters relocation

Mangochi District Council is set to become the latest local authority to relocate its headquarters, moving from Mangochi Boma to Namwera, in the area of Traditional Authority Jalasi, as part of a wider government initiative to separate district and municipal councils.

Council chairperson Iliyasa Sauzande said the move follows new guidelines from the Ministry of Local Government aimed at allowing each council to focus more effectively on its specific development mandate.

“The move is in line with government policy to separate district councils from municipal councils so that each institution can effectively deliver on its mandate,” Sauzande said.

He said the council had already acquired land in Namwera and would soon begin construction of new offices, ahead of transferring all its operations to the new site.

The relocation project is expected to cost more than K10 billion.

Mangochi’s move is not an isolated case. Similar relocation plans are already under way in Zomba, Blantyre and Lilongwe, where district councils are expected to move their headquarters outside their respective city centres as part of the same government policy separating district administration from municipal governance.