As hunger tightens its grip on millions of Malawians, government has admitted it is still K71 billion short of funding a national relief programme meant to save vulnerable families from starvation -- once again turning to donors while the crisis deepens on the ground.
The Department of Disaster Management Affairs (Dodma) has so far secured K138.4 billion out of the K209.4 billion required to implement the Lean Season Response Programme, leaving a massive deficit as of January 28, 2026.
The programme targets about four million households projected by the Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee (Mvac) to face severe hunger between October 2025 and March 2026.
Speaking at Luchenza Community Hall during the distribution of just 1,200 bags of relief maize, Principal Secretary in the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) Rashid Ntelela openly appealed to local and international partners to bail out the programme.
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"We continue asking local and international development partners to finance the Lean Season Response Programme in order for the programme to reach its target of reaching out to all the people who are facing hunger," Ntelela said.
But the statement only reinforced a growing public frustration: why is a sovereign government still begging donors to feed its own people year after year?
Ntelela insisted that government remains committed to supporting citizens by providing the same quantity of maize every month, while blaming poor harvests caused by natural calamities in 2025.
Yet critics argue that hunger in Malawi is no longer just about droughts and floods -- it is about chronic policy failure, weak planning and a political class that reacts instead of preparing.
Dodma Commissioner Wilson Moleni also struck an optimistic tone, saying the agency will "continue mobilising resources".
"Dodma will continue distributing a 50-kilogramme bag of maize to people, including those of Luchenza, every month until March 2026," Moleni said.
But with a K71 billion hole in the budget, the promise sounds more like hope than a plan.
Meanwhile, Luchenza Municipality MP Chimwemwe Chipungu, who is also Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, called for fairness in distribution, admitting that over 8,000 people in his constituency alone are affected.
He presided over the distribution exercise -- a familiar political ritual where leaders hand out maize while cameras roll, but long-term solutions remain absent.
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In October 2025, President Peter Mutharika declared a State of Disaster in 11 districts, acknowledging the scale of the crisis.
Yet four months later, government is still counting deficits, still appealing to donors, and still distributing emergency maize in community halls.
For many Malawians, the real disaster is not just hunger -- it is the endless cycle of declarations, appeals, shortfalls and excuses.
Every year it is the same script: poor harvests, emergency programmes, funding gaps, donor begging and temporary handouts.
And the question growing louder in villages, towns and trading centres is simple:
When will this circus end?
