A major poultry operation on the outskirts of Malawi’s capital Lilongwe has been ransacked for the second time this year, as an angry mob descended on Thanzi Chicks Limited’s M’bwatalika facility on Tuesday, looting tens of thousands of chickens and vandalising property estimated at over K500 million.
The farm, located just outside Lilongwe City, became the scene of chaos after villagers reportedly discovered a dead body near its perimeter.
The unrest swiftly escalated into a full-scale attack on the facility, which forms part of a K24 billion investment employing more than 300 people in the area.
Raj Munangi, Managing Director of Thanzi Chicks Limited, confirmed the incident in a phone interview, stating that the crowd initially gathered outside the farm before violently storming the premises.
“Our security staff noticed the crowd and alerted the supervisor, who then contacted me. I instructed them to engage police immediately, but before help arrived, about 200 people had already invaded the farm,” Munangi explained.
Namitete Police responded to the initial report of the dead body, but were quickly overwhelmed by a swelling mob reportedly drawn from five nearby villages.
“When we arrived, the situation had become volatile. Villagers were damaging the fence and chicken kraals and had already started looting,” said Superintendent Sophie Mgundadzuwa of Namitete Police Post.
Farm supervisor Vinay Bommareddy said early estimates suggest over 20,000 chickens were stolen. “Damages could exceed K1 billion, but conservatively, we have already lost more than K500 million,” he noted.
This is the second major incident targeting the farm, following a similar attack in January. The company previously wrote to the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC), accusing some traditional leaders of making “unreasonable and extortionate demands.”
Senior Chief M’bwatalika described the latest incident as “unfortunate” and pledged to hold discussions with involved local leaders to address the growing tensions.
Thanzi Chicks operates two large farms—120 acres in Nsaru and 50 acres in Msundwe—and has invested $14 million (approximately K24 billion) into its operations.
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