For too long, skeptics peddled a narrative that President Lazarus Chakwera had turned his back on Blantyre—the country’s commercial heart. That narrative has collapsed under the weight of undeniable progress. This time, the focus is in the water and sanitation sector alone.
Thanks to the Malawi Water and Sanitation Project-1, jointly funded by the Government of Malawi and the World Bank, Blantyre is undergoing a silent but powerful transformation. What’s happening in the city is not cosmetic—it’s foundational.
Markets long burdened by poor hygiene—Makhetha (manda a mbuzi), Limbe Flea, Limbe Produce, Bangwe, and Mbayani—are now sites of modern sanitation facilities. Health centres in Limbe, Bangwe, Makhetha, South Lunzu, and Chirimba are receiving infrastructure upgrades that protect both dignity and public health.
The revolution in clean water access is even more striking. Fifteen water kiosks, including in Malabada, Mpira II, Nkoka, Kachere 10, and Cheyisa, are being rehabilitated. In parallel, 15 new smart kiosks are taking shape in places like Mwachande, Chinangwa, Matope, and Mango—progress at these sites is already over 80%.
Soon, trenchers will move in—laying fresh water and sewer lines beneath Blantyre’s soil, turning words like “access” and “equity” into lived realities.
This government has also delivered where others made excuses: the Mzedi access road, once impassable, is now paved, easing waste transport. A new engineered landfill in Chigumula is underway to safely handle and recycle city waste.
To those who doubted: President Chakwera has not neglected Blantyre. He has planted the seeds of its renewal. The results are now in plain view.
