Government spends 800 million Kwacha to settle squatters at Wachepa village in Chipata.

The 60 families at Wachepa village, who were squatting at Nkhwengwe Farm in Chipata, have finally been empowered with land.
Five hundred hectors of land has been given to the villagers whose houses where demolished by the court bailiffs early last year.
Speaking when handing over the land to the villagers, Eastern Province Permanent Secretary, Emmanuel Mwamba said government had negotiated with the owner of the land to buy it at a cost of 800 million Kwacha instead of 3 billion Kwacha which Kabilika Nkhwengwe had requested.
Mr. Mwamba said that the matter has taken quite some time to be processed because the title deed was acquired a long time ago in 1976.
Mr. Mwamba told the villagers not to live in fear but continue to stay in peace as the land now belongs to them.
Meanwhile, DMMU, the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit has donated six tents while the District Commissioner’s office gave maize seed to the villagers.
And speaking on behalf of the former squatters, Mainala Nkhoma thanked government for the gesture, stating that the villagers had suffered for a long time because of the land wrangle.