Kondwani Nyondo

 Mingling with the dead By Kondwani Nyondo  It is my third morning since I joined the mortuary, but the smell no longer bothers me. There is silence — the kind that hums through the cold air.  Mr. Banda, the senior attendant, calls it “the sound of peace.” Before I joined, I heard many stories about mortuary attendants. One of them claimed that when a dead person suddenly rose, attendants finished them off with a hammer. I ask Banda if, in his thirty years of service, he has ever seen that happen. He chuckles, wiping his hands with a towel. “No. That has never happened,” he says. Then, after a pause, adds, “But there was one incident — a coffin swelling on its own after we had put in the body. That one scared me a little.” An hour later, the ground phone rings. Banda picks it up. It’s a call from Room 12 in the doctors’ block. “Get to 4A on the ground floor. There’s your new arrival," says the voice. We move quickly, gloves and stretcher in hand. When we reach the ward, a...

MINING PAYOUT SCANDAL ROCK BALAKA ·         Villagers decry unfair treatment, ghost beneficiaries ·         As ACB launches BY KONDWANI NYONDO  When bulldozers rolled into Ng’onga Hill in Balaka, the villagers thought it was the sound of progress. Months later, the only sound that remains is that of blasting rocks and wailing families who say the development has stolen their land, homes, and dignity. What was supposed to be fair compensation from Portland Cement Malawi Limited has turned into a scandal. While those who genuinely deserved compensation got peanuts, others, even without land, including public officers are alleged to have received hefty sums.   Interviews, petitions, and documents reviewed during a months-long investigation in the mining projects in Balaka reveal a compensation process riddled with corruption, ghost beneficiaries, and broken promises. The Anti-Corruption Bureau has since opened ...

  Explosives retrieved in Lilongwe as police probe cross-border origins By Kondwani Nyondo Police in Lilongwe have retrieved 19 explosive devices within Area 23 Township following reports from community members who discovered the deadly objects in different locations, including a graveyard and scrap metal collection points. The explosives — a mix of exploded and unexploded mortars — were voluntarily surrendered to Kawale Police Station by residents over the past seven days. Authorities have since launched investigations to establish how the items found their way into the densely populated area. According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Davie Chilalire, the discoveries were made possible through the vigilance of community members who promptly alerted the police. “We commend the people of Area 23 for their cooperation,” said Chilalire. “These are not ordinary metals — they are dangerous explosives that could have caused loss of life if mishandled.” Police have since orga...

 Lilongwe’s sanitation crisis in primary schools By Kondwani Nyondo  each morning, pupils at Ngwenya, Kaufulu, Biwi and Kaliyeka primary schools arrive in neat uniforms and bright smiles. But behind the walls, a silent crisis brews: broken latrines, no water, and foul-smelling pits that threaten children’s health and dignity. National data show that only 4,412 of Malawi’s 7,117 primary schools have change rooms for girls  leaving nearly a third without private spaces for menstrual management. Across the country, less than half of the population uses safely managed sanitation, and schools mirror that failure. In Lilongwe, many toilets are full or roofless, taps are dry, and soap is scarce. Pupils cope by waiting until they get home or relieving themselves in the open. These conditions fuel absenteeism and expose children to diarrhoeal and cholera outbreaks. Girls suffer most. Without private, clean, and lockable toilets, many skip class during menstruation. Teachers r...

Illegal sand mining persists at Senga Bay By Kondwani Nyondo  Illegal sand mining continues to ravage Senga Bay, threatening the once-pristine golden beaches of Lake Malawi that the country proudly markets to international tourists. Despite being designated a protected zone under Malawi’s land laws, sand extraction continues openly, degrading the shoreline and undermining livelihoods that depend on the lake. According to the National Land Policy , any land within 50 metres of the lake is classified as public land and a protected zone. The Mines and Minerals Act further stipulates that all minerals  including sand are vested in the President on behalf of the people of Malawi. Similarly, Section 47 (1) of the Environment Management Act (2017) mandates authorities to safeguard river and lake basins from harmful human activities. Interviews with community members and local authorities suggest that much of the sand mining is allegedly sanctioned by traditional leaders. Ho...

Trading tales: dollar,maize tumble after elections By Kondwani Nyondo  Just days after Peter Mutharika was announced Malawi’s new president, black-market rates for the U.S. dollar and South African rand, as well as maize prices, have plummeted, leaving traders and consumers adjusting quickly. Our team visited most of Lilongwe’s major dollar trading centers, including Gamestore and Devil Street. Traders there confirmed that the U.S. dollar, which had been trading at K5,000 per dollar a week before the elections, is now selling at around K3,000. South African rand has also fallen from K275 to K230. We also visited maize markets at Mitundu and Zankutu in Lilongwe. In Mitundu, a 50kg bag of maize has reduced from K76,000 to K70,000, while some traders sell it at K69,000. At Zankutu, traders told us the drop reflects expectations of government intervention. “We have heard that the new administration plans to distribute maize for free,” said one Zankutu trader, requesting anonymity. ...

Lecture Notes: Ecosystems (Nature’s Neighborhood) 1. What is an Ecosystem? An ecosystem is like a neighborhood in nature. In this neighborhood: Living things (plants, animals, microbes) are the “residents.” Non-living things (air, water, soil, sunlight) are the “resources.” Everyone and everything depends on one another to survive. 2. Who Lives in Nature’s Neighborhood? 1. Plants (Producers): They are like the cooks → they make food for everyone using sunlight. 2. Animals (Consumers): Herbivores (plant-eaters) are like vegetarians. Carnivores (meat-eaters) are like hunters. Omnivores (both plants + meat) are flexible eaters. 3. Decomposers (Cleaners): Microbes like fungi and bacteria are the “garbage collectors” → they recycle waste and return nutrients to the soil. 3. Resources in the Neighborhood (Abiotic Factors) Sunlight = electricity of the neighborhood. Water = drinking supply. Soil = the supermarket shelf with nutrients. Air = the fresh atmosphere for br...

Nthalire’s golden mirage In Nthalire, Chitipa, the promise of gold has turned into both a dream and a curse. Every morning, men, women, and children troop to riverbanks and shallow pits, armed with hoes, picks, and plastic buckets. They call it kusaka chuma — searching for wealth — but more often than not, the only wealth they find is fatigue and injuries. At first glance, the hills shimmer with opportunity. Yet, behind the glitter is a network of exploitation. Local miners sell a gram of gold for as little as K30 000 to middlemen who, in turn, sell it at more than double across the border in Tanzania. By the time the gold reaches the markets in Dar es Salaam or Nairobi, its value multiplies, leaving Nthalire villagers with nothing but scarred land and polluted streams. Chiefs here whisper about trucks that sneak out at night, ferrying raw gold to foreign buyers. The deals are lubricated with bribes, sometimes disguised as “gifts” to local authorities, ensuring silence. “The gover...

  Mining industrial site                                            By Kondwani Nyondo                                                        ......... According to Todaro and Smith,(2015) reforms   can be defined as   deliberate changes to laws, institutions, or economic structures aimed at improving efficiency, equity, and governance. Policy responses are the measures governments adopt to address economic and social challenges through fiscal, monetary, or regulatory actions Dye(2017). The OECD (2002) further observes that reforms strengthen governance frameworks to enhance social and economic outcomes.     Against this theoretical background, the Annual Economic Report 2024 provides a useful case for examining ...

By Kondwani Nyondo  The Tobacco Commission officially closed the 2025 tobacco marketing season on Friday after granting an extension.  However, hundreds of contracted farmers in Mchinji are still stranded with unsold leaf, raising fears of heavy losses in the country’s main foreign exchange earner. Our investigations have established that farmers under Associated Central African Limited, Hell and Cotton, Premium Tama, and Alliance are among those still holding onto unsold tobacco. At Waliranji, one farmer who spoke on condition of anonymity showed us heaps of unsold bales lying idle.  He explained that bottlenecks in the booking process, a requirement for accessing the market, prevented many farmers from selling during the extension period. According to farmers’ clubs and cooperatives, about 500 bales remain unsold in Mchinji alone a development that could translate into millions of dollars in lost foreign exchange. “Just this morning, we reached to the  Senior...

By Kondwani Nyondo  When the Kamilang’ombe Bridge in Nthalire, Chitipa, caved in last week — leaving a Toyota Land Cruiser carrying ten People’s Party campaign members dangling over the edge — the near-tragedy pulled the lid off a deeper scandal. Our investigation has established that the bridge, valued at K167 million and barely a month old, was not only substandard but was also suspiciously constructed at night, away from the community’s watchful eyes. A Rescue That Took Hours The collapse sparked a desperate rescue. Villagers rushed to save the trapped team, sliding logs and shoveling sand beneath the teetering vehicle until it was finally dragged back to safety. Prisca Yapereka Kayira, one of those trapped, recalls: "Just as we were about to cross, the slab caved in. We thought we would die. It took hours of villagers working with bare hands to save us." Signs of Negligence What happened at Kamilang’ombe was no accident. Our investigation revealed that cracks had already ...

  Illegal Gold Mining Drains Kasungu Communities, Exposes Regulatory Gaps By Kondwani Nyondo, Kasungu A fast-growing illegal gold mining industry in Kasungu’s Chimbiya area is leaving communities poorer, landless, and exposed to severe health risks, an investigation has revealed. At Gogode, about 39 kilometres from the M1 Road, a mill locally known as Chigayo cha Golide grinds tonnes of soil every day. The facility, operated under Sahava Investments, is the epicentre of unregulated mining activities that stretch across sites such as Siliuka. Exploitation in the Pits Villagers, including women and children, are working in open pits without safety measures, often sleeping near shafts that collapse without warning. Many dig blindly without knowing whether the soil holds any gold. “Sometimes we crush two or three tonnes, and there’s nothing. But the costs must still be paid,” said Halod Bisalomu, a dealer overseeing the mill. Milling one tonne of soil costs K60,000. Renting equipment s...

  K50, 000 but now the same fetches between K390, 000 to K400, 000 according to official reports.    It is this incentive that has motivated the risky gold mining in places such as Kasungu.    Chairperson for Civil Society Network in Kasungu Braxton Banda is worried that authorities are paying a blind eye to this catastrophe.    “We have registered our concerns to the council. Unfortunately mining activities are yet to be decentralised. We are planning a mining indaba to resolve these issues” said Banda.    According to the Annual Economic Report (2025) apart from Kasungu the other hotspots for informal gold mining are; Balaka, Neno (Lisungwi), Machinga (Nsanama), Mangochi (Makanjira), Nkhatabay (Tukombo), and Nkhotakota (Bowa, Dwangwa and surrounding areas).     In the 2025/26 budget statement minister of finance indicated that gold miners are one of the target groups for the government’s formalisation drive.    In a writ...

Illegal land deal at Magwero -Questions over governance and transparency By Kondwani Nyondo The controversial transfer of over 417 hectares of prime industrial land at Area 55, also known as Magwero Industrial Park, has ignited serious concerns about governance, legality, and the erosion of public trust in Malawi’s investment institutions. Originally designated for industrial development under the mandate of the Malawi Investment and Trade Centre (MITC), this large parcel of land in the capital city was expected to attract investors under transparent and legally compliant procedures.  However, internal sources reveal a shadowy deal involving the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC), a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), and an Indian company, ARISE, which has majority ownership in the SPV. According to docoments in our position, legal opinions obtained from the Attorney General’s office and private legal firm Mbendera and Nkhono Associates, the transfer of the land to the SPV wi...

Easy to find new person,not easy to find real one By Kondwani Nyondo  You can replace anyone. It's not hard to find a new person.  But to find a real person? That's a different affair The person who stood by you when you were at your lowest, who believed in you when your dreams were just dreams, who picked you up when you dropped, and who straightened your crown before the world knew it was crooked—that kind of person can not be replaced.  Charm and chemistry are easy to find. Sexy body and steamy nights are not a challenge to come by. But a heart that believes and a soul that stands the test of time are as rare as gold. Most people don't fail in life because they never met the love of their life but because they met them and mistreated them.  A true soulmate is not easy to be with because they need you to walk in truth and live up to your potential. They don't support you when you're losing yourself and straying.  There's an opportunity cost to being with a tru...

 Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o is gone, but his words still speak By Kondwani Nyondo In African literature classrooms from Nairobi to Lilongwe, generations of students have turned the dog-eared pages of Weep Not, Child and Petals of Blood under the dim glow of campus bulbs.  Now, with the passing of Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o at age 87, Africa has not merely lost a novelist—it will be burying a rebellion bound in pages, a resistance inked in Gikuyu and English, in pain and pride.  Born James Ngugi in 1938 during Kenya’s colonial shadows, he would one day renounce both the language and the name forced upon him. In doing so, he birthed Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o—not just a name, but a literary fist raised against the empire.  In Malawi, long before literary festivals found room for his name on their programs, Ngũgĩ was already at home in classrooms. His novels—Weep Not, Child, The River Between, A Grain of Wheat, Petals of Blood—were staples in secondary school English literature syllabi.  His...

 Letter to my daughter By Kondwani Nyondo Dear Amry, When I saw your name on Facebook, after twenty years it was like hearing a song I had long forgotten how to hum. You wrote: "I am looking for my father. If anyone knew Bapapi tell him, I still love him." This message hit me like thunder. For years, I stayed off Facebook. Not because I didn’t care, but because it became too painful to see what the world was doing without me in it. And now, there you were. Grown. Searching. And still calling me Bapapi the name your mother NyaNjolwa gave me. You may not remember much the day your mother walked away with you. But I do. On this day I remembered the words of NyaSoko your grandmother at Mtende in the village. At every visit she used to warn us “in the village even the way a man coughs can land him in hot soup.” Judi, young and curvier woman used to come to my butchery almost every day to buy pork. Not that she loved it herself but her father, Gilbert, who would not let two days ...