Decades after eviction, Nyika–Vwaza communities renew fight for ancestral land

More than half a century after being forced from their homes in the name of wildlife conservation, communities displaced from the Nyika Plateau and Vwaza Marsh have renewed calls for the return of what they describe as their ancestral land.

They are questioning the legality and fairness of a government takeover that has left generations landless and impoverished.

Through the Nyika–Vwaza Land Victims Association, affected families are appealing to the Malawi Government to revisit the circumstances under which their land was converted into Nyika National Park and Vwaza Marsh Wildlife Reserve.

They argue that proper procedures including consultation, compensation, and resettlement were never followed.

The association represents people evicted from parts of Rumphi, Mzimba, and surrounding districts.

It says thousands of families were resettled on already congested customary land, a situation that has entrenched hunger and poverty decades after the original displacements.

Speaking in an interview with Malawi24, the association’s chairperson, Group Village Headman (GVH) Chikulupati of Hewe in Rumphi District, said repeated efforts to engage government authorities have produced no meaningful response.

“We have tried all possible channels to engage the government, but there has been no response to our concerns. Our people are struggling to survive. We do not have enough land for farming, and this has resulted in hunger and deep poverty among families that once depended on these lands for their livelihoods.”said GVH Chikulupati.”

Historical records indicate that the land now comprising Nyika National Park and Vwaza Marsh Wildlife Reserve was originally occupied and used by local communities for farming, grazing, hunting, and cultural activities long before it was designated as protected land.

During the colonial era, the British administration declared vast areas of northern Malawi as game and forest reserves.

Nyika was first designated a controlled hunting area in the 1950s and was later upgraded to a national park in 1965, shortly after Malawi’s independence.

Vwaza Marsh followed a similar path, first declared a game reserve and later gazetted as a wildlife reserve.Community leaders argue that these decisions were imposed without meaningful consultation, compensation, or resettlement plans.

Many families were forced to relocate to surrounding customary land, which they say was already overcrowded and incapable of supporting the growing population.

“The land was simply taken in the name of conservation. Our grandparents were told to leave, and to this day, their descendants are paying the price.”said Gogo Maria Nyirenda.

The Nyika–Vwaza Land Victims Association says the loss of fertile land has had long-term social and economic consequences.