Malawi Lands Minister Demands Retraction From Watchdog Over Wealth and Corruption Claims

LILONGWE, Malawi — Lawyers for Malawi’s Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Chimwemwe Chipungu, have demanded a formal retraction and apology from a prominent civil society group after it publicly questioned the minister’s assets and alleged involvement in land dealings.

In a letter dated July 28, 2026, the firm Mchizi and Associates, writing on behalf of Mr. Chipungu, accused the Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI) of making “defamatory,” “malicious” and “reckless” statements during a press conference the previous day. The firm said the remarks amplified letters CDEDI had sent to the minister inviting him to a voluntary lifestyle audit.

According to the letter, signed by managing partner Khwima Mchizi, CDEDI suggested that Mr. Chipungu had purchased seven cars valued at 2.8 billion Malawi kwacha, begun construction of a hotel far beyond his means after becoming a minister, participated in land transactions at the Airport Development Limited (ADL) estate, and engaged in corruption. The group was also accused of implying that the minister was a “thug” capable of violence against its members and therefore unfit for public office.

Mr. Chipungu’s lawyers offered a detailed rebuttal. They stated that since becoming a member of Parliament he had purchased only two duty-free vehicles, financed through loans from Parliament arranged with NBS and FDH banks. They further said that as a private citizen he has operated a hospitality business whose development work has been underway since 2016, that the project has been properly declared under the law, and that it is supported by a loan from FDH Bank. On the land issue, the lawyers asserted that as minister Mr. Chipungu “is not responsible and was not involved at any point in granting or selling ADL plots to anyone

The letter demanded that CDEDI retract the statements and issue an apology within 48 hours through the same channels used to publicize them. Failure to do so, it warned, would prompt the firm to commence legal proceedings on the minister’s instructions.

The exchange marks a sharp escalation in a dispute that began a day earlier, when CDEDI invited Mr. Chipungu to participate in its “People Power Forum,” a voluntary public accounting of assets and lifestyle. In that earlier correspondence the organization had sought clarification on the expansion of a Lilongwe hotel project, the acquisition of luxury vehicles, gifts received in office, and progress against corruption within the Lands Ministry. It had also pressed for details of recent plot allocations at the ADL estate in Lumbadzi amid public concern over fairness in the distribution of public land.

CDEDI has not yet issued a public response to the lawyers’ demand.

The confrontation underscores persistent tensions in Malawi over transparency in public office, the allocation of scarce land resources, and the effectiveness of existing anti-corruption mechanisms. Mr. Chipungu, who has publicly acknowledged problems of corruption within his ministry and ordered illegal land occupiers to vacate within 14 days, now finds himself at the center of a legal and political dispute that could test both the boundaries of civic advocacy and the accountability of senior officials