MZUZU IN DATA The population of Mzuzu was 133,968 as of 2008. About 50.2 percent of the population comprised of males and the remaining 49.8 percent comprised of women. The city has a population density of 2,791 people per km2 and a growth rate of 4.4 percent with a land area of 143.8 km2. The population of Mzuzu represents a 1 percent share of the national population. As a regional centre, the city serves a total population of about 1.7 million.
TABLE 2: Population DISTRIBUTION IN MZUZU Ward Chibanja
Mzuzu is a fast growing city and owes its origin to the Commonwealth Development Corporation’s Tung Oil Estates established in Mzuzu in 1947. It became a municipality in 1980 and a city in 1985. Some of the major economic activities in Mzuzu include agriculture and livestock keeping. The population growth and projected population for 2015 and 2018, with average annual growth rate of 4.16 percent is shown in the table below3.
TABLE 1:
10,384
Chibavi East
7,729
Chibavi West
8,076
Chiputula
6,825
Kaning’ina Msongwe
MZUZU’S DEVELOPMENT
Population
11,406
Katawa
6,944
Lupaso Nkhorongo
9,716
Luwinga
10,985
Masasa East
10,760
Masasa West
7,640
Mchengautuwa East
10,646
Mchengautuwa West
7,338
Mzilawaingwe
8,196
Zolozolo East
7,348
Zolozolo West
9,975
Source: Mzuzu City Council (2010), Malawi Electoral Commission Ward Redemarcation.
Population growth in MZUZU Population
1977
16,108
1987
44,217
1998
87,030
2008
133,968
2015
220,346
2020
270,423
Source: National Statistical Office (2003), 1998 Malawi Population and Housing Census, Population Projections Report 1999-2023.
More than 60 percent of Mzuzu’s population lives in informal settlements. Table 2 shows the population distribution in the 15 wards as of 20104.
3 4
National Statistical Office (2003), 1998 Malawi Population and Housing Census, Population Projections Report 1999-2023. Mzuzu City Council (2010), Malawi Electoral Commission Ward Redemarcation.
ADMINISTRATION The Local Government Act of 1998 and the Decentralization Policy of 1998 mandates Mzuzu City Council to play a coordinating role in the socioeconomic development of the city. Section 6 of the Local Government Act empowers the city council to make policies and decisions on local governance and development. The administrative structure of the council includes elected councilors and a mayor elected from among the councilors and assisted by Community Development Committees (CDCs) at the local level. The city council has one Member of Parliament who represents it in the national assembly. Policies and decisions of the city council are implemented and enforced by the secretariat made up of 499 employed people in various departments shown in the table below. The staff vacancy rate is about 7 percent, with some departments such as the Department of Trade, Commerce and Private Sector Development being chronically under staffed.
MZUZU urban profile - background
Year
1111