Construction Industry Regulatory Authority (Cira) has said it plans to conduct technical audits on construction projects across the country.
The authority has already piloted the exercise on selected projects, including the new police building in Blantyre, the Kanengo–Crossroads Road in Lilongwe and the Livingstonia–Njakwa Road in the Northern Region.
In an interview, Cira Chief Executive Officer Gerald Khonje said a combination of natural disasters, a poor maintenance culture, shortcuts in project implementation and corruption had contributed to the deterioration and failure of some infrastructure projects in Malawi.
“Sometimes, it is really a natural process but, sometimes, it is because somebody compromised [services] in delivering what they were supposed to deliver,” Khonje said.
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He said Cira has since enhanced penalties and strengthened regulatory processes to ensure greater accountability in the construction sector.
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Khonje said the duration of the audits would depend on projects’ nature and scope.
He said the findings would help prevent recurring challenges in the infrastructure sector while strengthening the resilience and quality of Malawi’s construction projects.
Under the new Construction Industry Regulations Act (2025), every construction project, whether public or private, will include a mandatory technical audit component to assess compliance and performance.
Roads Authority Chief Executive Officer Ammiel Champiti welcomed the move, saying it would help bring sanity.
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“This is definitely a welcome development and [the move] will enhance quality, transparency and accountability among stakeholders and implementing agencies,” Champiti said.
Meanwhile, Economics Association of Malawi President Bertha Bangara Chikadza has said weak oversight has allowed corruption and poor procurement practices to flourish, resulting in low-quality infrastructure, including roads that develop potholes shortly after completion.
She said the audits must go beyond drawing lessons to driving tangible action and reform.
“We want to see concrete outcomes, such as contractor blacklisting, professional sanctions and recovery of wasted public funds, materialise,” she said.
The 2025 CoST Infrastructure Transparency Index report exposed a widening gap between legislation and practice, with Malawi scoring 25.41 points, far below the international average of 43.07, and trailing regional peers such as Uganda, which scored 32.26, despite Malawi’s strong legal framework.
