Rumphi Central MP ( UTM Party) Matthews Mtumbuka has called on the government to introduce guaranteed quotas for people with disabilities across education, agricultural subsidies and social protection programmes, warning that forcing them to compete on equal terms with the wider population is leaving many behind.
Mtumbuka said people with disabilities continue to face significant structural barriers that make it far harder for them to access government support, despite these programmes being specifically designed to improve livelihoods and lift vulnerable households out of poverty.
The MP made the remarks at Rumphi Teachers Training College during a luncheon hosted by the Jane Ansah Foundation for people with disabilities, arguing that true inclusion requires far more than simply throwing open government programmes to the entire population.
According to Mtumbuka, treating disabled Malawians exactly the same as everyone else can, in practice, produce deeply unequal outcomes, given the additional economic, physical and social obstacles many are forced to navigate.
Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn
He therefore proposed designated quotas within government schemes to guarantee a minimum level of participation by people with disabilities, rather than leaving them to compete on an uneven playing field.
Mtumbuka said such a system could ensure disabled Malawians are deliberately and proactively included in opportunities such as education scholarships, agricultural input support and social protection initiatives - rather than being left to fend for themselves against the wider population.
Without targeted intervention, he warned, many people with disabilities risk being permanently shut out of programmes specifically intended to help lift vulnerable households out of poverty.
The proposal represents a significant shift in the debate, moving the conversation away from simple equal access towards what campaigners describe as equitable access - the recognition that offering everyone the same opportunity does not automatically translate into everyone having the same ability to actually benefit from it.
The MP said a quota system would provide a practical, workable mechanism to ensure disabled Malawians receive a fair share of government support and are properly represented across programmes designed to improve livelihoods nationwide.
His intervention comes amid broader, ongoing concerns over the inclusion of disabled people in Malawi's national development agenda, particularly within education, agriculture and social protection.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
Mtumbuka's proposal now places pressure on government to determine whether its existing policies go far enough - or whether bold, affirmative measures are urgently needed to ensure that disability itself does not become yet another barrier standing between vulnerable Malawians and the public resources meant to support them.
