After eight years of a power vacuum following chieftaincy wrangles, four of the six clans of the Kabunduli dynasty have installed Goodwell Mwasi as their leader.
The coronation ceremony took place on Saturday at Senior Chief Kabunduli’s headquarters at Mzenga in Nkhata Bay District.
The event brought together over 60 group village heads from the district. However, there was no official representing government.
In his remarks, Mwasi expressed gratitude for the trust his subjects have in him.
He said: “I am very happy for this historic occasion, I am going to serve them well. This coronation means a lot to the Kabunduli dynasty. It shows the people have the ultimate powers as far as local leadership is concerned. I am humbled.”
Jackson Manda, a grand son of the late Kabunduli, said Goodwell Mwasi was chosen as the rightful heir to the throne following the death of his father, Senior Chief Kabunduli in 2007.
He said: “Mwasi is humble, development conscious and never interferes with the operations of other chiefs.”
Another Kabunduli clan earlier obtained a court injunction restraining Mwasi from assuming the throne, insisting the heir should come from their clan.
Led by Jessie Chimbumba, an aunt to Mwasi, they claim the Kabundulis are Chewa, hence they should follow a matrilineal succession system when the chief dies or is incapacitated.
The High Court in Mzuzu ruled that Mwasi is the rightful heir to the throne. n
