Diverson Chirwa, Witness Tapani Alfonso | June 30, 2025

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• Only about four in 10 Malawians (38%) say they have heard of the Constituency Development Fund (CDF).


• Among those who are aware of the CDF: o Close to seven in 10 (68%) say the doubling of funding amounts in 2024/2025 was justified. o Almost three-fourths (72%) say MPs or other politicians benefit most from the CDF, 10 times the proportion (7%) who think that ordinary constituents are the primary beneficiaries. o More than half (55%) say the CDF should be discontinued, while 43% want it to be maintained. o An overwhelming majority (91%) say the use of CDF resources should be determined by constituency committees comprising multiple stakeholders rather than MPs alone.


• More than four in 10 (43%) say village or area development committees would be best placed to manage local development projects, compared to 25% who would assign this task to MPs.

Since 2006/2007, Malawi’s central government has used the Constituency Development  Fund (CDF) to funnel money to electoral constituencies to support local development needs  and reduce poverty at the grassroots level (Nyirenda & Kalyani, 2023; Government of  Malawi, 2014; van Zyl, 2010; Tsubura, 2013). During its most recent session, which adjourned in  April, Parliament increased the amount given to each constituency by 10%, to 220 million  kwacha (about USD 126,500), after doubling the amount a year ago (Longwe, 2025). 

While supporters extol the potential of the CDF to promote local development through  investments in health care, education, water, agricultural services, security, and electricity,  critics voice concerns about poor accountability, corruption, elite capture, and  mismanagement of the fund due to limited community involvement in decision-making  processes (Mwangi, 2005). 

One characteristic of the CDF is that members of Parliament (MPs) have typically exerted strong influence on how the monies are spent, leading some analysts to argue that the CDF  benefits MPs more than it does their constituents (Tsubura, 2013; Tshangana, 2010). On 26  May, in a landmark judgement, the Malawian Constitutional Court declared the current  arrangement of the CDF – specifically, the involvement of MPs and the voting rights they  have enjoyed in managing the fund – unconstitutional (Banda, 2025). It is as yet unclear how  this historic ruling will affect future constituency-based projects. 

Findings of the most recent Afrobarometer survey reveal that a majority of Malawians are  unaware of the CDF, especially in rural areas. Among those who are familiar with the fund,  two-thirds welcome the doubling of resources in 2024-2025, but almost three-fourths think MPs  and other politicians benefit more from the CDF than ordinary citizens.  

A slim majority say the fund should be abolished, but if it continues, virtually all citizens want  multiple-stakeholder constituency committees to decide how the monies are used.