Around 300 families displaced from Kasasire in the area of Senior Chief M’bwana in Nkhata Bay are expected to relocate to Maji Estate in Mzimba District, where the government has identified a permanent settlement for them.

Second Vice President Enock Kamzingeni Chihana announced the relocation on Wednesday, saying it is part of efforts to find a lasting solution to the land dispute between the affected communities and the Malawi Defence Force (MDF).

Speaking at Kasasire Primary School grounds, Chihana said the government will incorporate the families into the Social Cash Transfer Programme once they relocate.

He said the government will also provide food, farm inputs through the Affordable Inputs Programme and access to safe water to help ease the challenges faced by the displaced families.

Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development Chimwemwe Chipungu said the residents will be allocated land free of charge, with the relocation expected to be completed by October 30.

Senior Chief Nyaluwanga, secretary of chiefs in Nkhata Bay, welcomed the development, saying the chiefs are pleased with the government’s commitment to providing basic social amenities at the new settlement.

However, Chairperson for the displaced villagers Lucky Botha said the affected families are disappointed with the decision to relocate them before they are compensated for houses that were demolished and crops that were destroyed by MDF soldiers in 2024.

The families have been living in a temporary shelter for more than a year after being forced from their homes by MDF soldiers who claim ownership of the land.

The affected residents, however, maintain that the land was inherited from their forefathers and belongs to their families.