tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3685521486180471062026-10-12T00:35:52.496+02:00MISA-Malawi Best Blog of the Year 2016 Richard Chirombohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957983136066809488noreply@blogger.comBlogger2700125truetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-368552148618047106.post-30141447335463191662026-10-06T17:42:57.163+02:002026-10-06T17:42:57.164+02:00

 For the first time in 42 years, Lucy Pandamale Simeon received Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services weather forecasts without a sense of trepidation.“This is because 13 members of our family have, over the past 15 years, died due to floods-related problems. Some of them were washed away by floods while four drowned as they attempted to cross flooded rivers in their haste

Richard Chirombohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957983136066809488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-368552148618047106.post-25631252672893826272026-10-06T17:39:49.740+02:002026-10-06T17:39:49.741+02:00

 When residents of Village Headman Mchanawo under Traditional Authority (TA) Chitera in Chiradzulu District discovered on January 4 this year that their only nearby borehole had been vandalised, despair quickly spread throughout the community.For many families, the borehole was more than just a water source— it was a lifeline.“It was the only borehole within a radius of five kilometres from

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Malawians opted for multiparty democracy in the 1993 Referendum, a decision they sustained when they voted for the United Democratic Front and booted out the Malawi Congress Party, which had been running the country’s affairs for some three decades, in 1994.In opting for democracy, voters signalled that they were ready to embrace a new way of governing the country. For instance, instead of

Richard Chirombohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957983136066809488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-368552148618047106.post-40825013742963799792026-10-06T17:25:11.468+02:002026-10-06T17:25:11.468+02:00

Malawi is, every now and then, affected by the problem of gun violence.No wonder, the country has been putting in place mechanisms for addressing issues such as manufacturing, marking and tracing of firearms and related materials; import and export of firearms and related materials; the handling of firearms in transit; civilian licensing, competency certificates and possession of firearms;

Richard Chirombohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957983136066809488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-368552148618047106.post-363562947808043112026-10-06T15:48:29.061+02:002026-10-06T15:48:29.061+02:00

 In this two-part series—which has been produced with support from the Louise Behan Grant, an initiative of the World Federation of Science Journalists—RICHARD CHIROMBO analyses the potential strengths and weaknesses of existing scientific approaches to flood management and their impact on reducing flood-related damage in the Shire Valley.Innovator Nankhumwa, who was born on January 1, 2000

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 In this two-part series—which has been produced with support from the Louise Behan Grant, an initiative of the World Federation of Science Journalists—RICHARD CHIROMBO analyses the potential strengths and weaknesses of existing scientific approaches to flood management and their impact on reducing flood-related damage in the Shire Valley.Aged only 25, Steward Nankhumwa’s voice is already

Richard Chirombohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957983136066809488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-368552148618047106.post-5041401573966866032026-10-06T15:39:48.605+02:002026-10-06T15:39:48.605+02:00

 From 2007, when people from Chalika, Elton, Zulu Chabvula, Kawaja, Mbauwo and other villages saw Kaswiti Primary School being opened in their area, dilapidated classrooms were a pervasive presence.However, for 319 learners that regard the school, which is in Ekwendeni, Mzimba District, as the home of academic excellence, it was not the dilapidated classroom blocks that aroused trepidation

Richard Chirombohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957983136066809488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-368552148618047106.post-1035848715230011732026-10-06T15:36:46.513+02:002026-10-06T15:36:46.513+02:00

In March 2025, there were indications that the wall of Malawi’s democracy was tumbling into something unrecognisable; something unpeaceful.After all, Malawi is known as a peaceful country such that any act of violence, political or otherwise, is surely an affront on its reputation. Anti-democracy tactics?As Malawians prepare for the September 16, 2025 Local Government, Parliamentary and

Richard Chirombohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957983136066809488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-368552148618047106.post-18908988179094915382026-10-06T15:33:34.390+02:002026-10-06T15:33:34.390+02:00

 The thing is, politicians do not wear their fears on their cloak.Deep down though, below those plastic smiles and forced handshakes, is the raging storm of uncertainty.September 16, 2025, which—just on June 23, 2020, when Malawians voted in the court-ordered presidential election—looked like a remote impossibility is fast approaching.And, all of a sudden, politicians who had a celebratory

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What once looked like a farfetched dream—making secondary school education free—has become a lived experience in Malawi.This means Malawi has turned yet another corner, after turning the first corner immediately after the multiparty elections of 1994, when the United Democratic Front administration made primary school education free.Over 30 years have elapsed since the Malawi Government made

Richard Chirombohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957983136066809488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-368552148618047106.post-7724489530623263342026-10-06T15:23:56.101+02:002026-10-06T15:23:56.101+02:00

 When the government established the Office of the Director of Public Officers’ Declarations (ODPOD), the idea was to promote transparency in public service delivery.It was also hoped that, through the office, those who acquire wealth suspiciously would be made to account for their actions.And, as if to express confidence in the office, some public officers have been doing the needful; that

Richard Chirombohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957983136066809488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-368552148618047106.post-91154981940200834272026-10-06T15:18:59.242+02:002026-10-06T15:18:59.242+02:00

It is a no-brainer that Malawi struggles to meet its health targets, largely due to resource constraints.For instance, despite being party to the Abuja Declaration, which requires signatories—including Malawi—to be channeling at least 15 percent of the national budget towards the health sector, this has remained a tall order for the country.Indeed, instead of putting hands to the wheel, in terms

Richard Chirombohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957983136066809488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-368552148618047106.post-85438907756206671242026-10-06T15:15:30.545+02:002026-10-06T15:15:30.545+02:00

 This year, Malawians along some lakeshore districts have been experiencing rising water levels.Indeed, hydrological data released by the National Water Resources Authority show that the water level of Lake Malawi reached 476.01 metres above sea level on March 17 this year. This is 0.46 metres higher than during the corresponding period last year.The data project that the level could rise

Richard Chirombohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957983136066809488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-368552148618047106.post-32960943471733953522026-10-06T15:11:04.155+02:002026-10-06T15:11:04.156+02:00

 Debate is raging on the issue of items that the National Economic Empowerment Fund (Neef), now called Malawi Enterprise Development Fund, intends to sell. Apparently, the items include farm inputs, which Neef officials say are deteriorating by the day.However, the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament (Pac) has problems with the plan to dispose of the inputs.When Pac members and Neef

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 The Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (Admarc) has been at the heart of Malawi agricultural transformation for ages.To begin with, Admarc has been serving as the storage facility for most farmers, who do not have standard and quality warehouses. When most smallholder farmers store maize at home, it is eaten by pests, such that much of the produce is lost to the pests.As

Richard Chirombohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957983136066809488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-368552148618047106.post-21395607423727924862026-10-06T15:04:01.105+02:002026-10-06T15:04:01.106+02:00

 As at now, one of the trending issues pertains to the repatriation of Malawians who are fleeing Afrophobia-based attacks in South Africa, which is viewed as the economic hub of the Southern African Development Community and, indeed, the whole continent.Some half-naked people in South Africa have been venting their misplaced anger on innocent citizens from other countries, notably Malawi,

Richard Chirombohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957983136066809488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-368552148618047106.post-5790734925615926502026-10-06T15:02:18.648+02:002026-10-06T15:02:18.648+02:00

Since the September 15, 2025 Local Government, Parliamentary and Presidential Elections, there has been a ruinous relationship between the Malawi Electoral Commission (Mec) and the government.At the centre of the hubbub is the government’s insistence that the electoral body should be abiding by executive orders while Mec believes that it cannot follow executive orders to relocate to Blantyre from

Richard Chirombohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957983136066809488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-368552148618047106.post-7503124624228802992026-10-06T15:00:35.206+02:002026-10-06T15:00:35.206+02:00

 All over the country, maize prices are falling freely like an amateur drunkard.So dramatic is the fall that the reality that, just last year, a 50-kilogramme (kg) bag of maize was selling at K100,000 or more feels like a prolonged bad dream.As expected, buyers are singing praises about the current administration. Who can blame them? Even researchers are reflecting the fall of prices of the

Richard Chirombohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957983136066809488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-368552148618047106.post-6597598987690572012026-10-06T14:59:34.162+02:002026-10-06T14:59:34.162+02:00

 All over the world, education is touted as the key that unlocks doors that would, otherwise, remain locked for some people.For instance, we have seen people who have broken the family curse of ignorance pulling others out of the pit of ignorance by sponsoring their secondary school and even tertiary education.However, only through investments in primary school education can the country

Richard Chirombohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957983136066809488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-368552148618047106.post-16906176530723784282026-10-06T14:57:16.828+02:002026-10-06T14:57:16.828+02:00

 Reserve Bank of Malawi (RBM)’s decision to put a cap on how much foreign exchange one is permitted to possess without seeking approval to $1,000 (or about K1.75 million) is a stitch in time.This is so because requiring people to source documentation pertaining to origins of $1,000 or its equivalent was somewhat inconveniencing. This is so because people, and even firms, were using time they

Richard Chirombohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957983136066809488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-368552148618047106.post-14647742117396327402026-10-06T14:56:09.185+02:002026-10-06T14:56:09.185+02:00

 Members of Parliament (MPs) must be among the most spoilt people in Malawi.As at now, some of the lawmakers have bought vehicles worth K200 million and above, all courtesy of loans they get by virtue of being MPs.The legislators also enjoy a truckload of benefits, such that one would hope that they would be satisfied.After all, the MPs vie for votes on the pretext that they want to serve

Richard Chirombohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957983136066809488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-368552148618047106.post-55388499728851930702026-10-06T14:55:14.688+02:002026-10-06T14:55:14.689+02:00

 Childbirth is supposed to be one of the happy moments in life, as people welcome a new member into a family and, by extension, to the society.No wonder, ululation is synonymous with childbirth, as elation becomes the prevalent emotion.Unfortunately, an ironic situation has been unfolding in the background, where pregnant women who are expected to bring joy to the society are dying in the

Richard Chirombohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957983136066809488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-368552148618047106.post-49510529052335620742026-10-06T14:54:26.177+02:002026-10-06T14:54:26.177+02:00

Malawi is becoming synonymous with shortages.To begin with, hope is becoming a scarce commodity as citizens find that what was promised on the campaign trail is not what is materialising on the ground.For instance, while the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) pledged—in the runup to the September 16, 2025 Presidential, Parliamentary and Local Government Elections—to promote meritocracy, nepotism

Richard Chirombohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957983136066809488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-368552148618047106.post-63052631193101961782026-10-06T14:53:42.208+02:002026-10-06T14:53:42.208+02:00

Richard Chirombohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14957983136066809488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-368552148618047106.post-8260839785643461142026-10-06T14:45:24.514+02:002026-10-06T14:45:24.515+02:00

 When one talks about diversification, the issue that will automatically resonate with Malawians is food. And, definitely, most Malawians would think that the issue of diversification from maize, the stapple crop, has resurfaced.No one, certainly not we, can blame them. Malawians’ obsession with maize has become almost like an addiction, such that there is a need to change diets.Most

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