Neno District

Location of Neno District in Malawi

Neno is a district in the Southern Region of Malawi. The capital is Neno. In 2018, Neno District had a population of 138,291. ^[1]

Neno District was created in 2003 when Mwanza District was split into two districts, Neno and Mwanza, under the decentralisation program.

Demographics

At the time of the 2018 Census of Malawi, the distribution of the population of Neno District by ethnic group was as follows: ^[1]

• 66.4% Ngoni
• 13.1% Lomwe
• 9.6% Chewa
• 4.8% Mang'anja
• 2.1% Yao
• 2.0% Sena
• 0.5% Tumbuka
• 0.2% Nyanja
• 0.1% Tonga
• 0.1% Nkhonde
• 0.1% Lambya
• 0.0% Sukwa
• 1.0% Others

Government and administrative divisions

There are two National Assembly constituencies in Neno:

• Neno - North
• Neno - South

Since the 2009 election both constituencies have been held by members of the Democratic Progressive Party. ^[2]

In 2025 Neno South was represented by Mutani Tambala. ^[3] She was elected to parliament at the same time as Mary Maulidi Khembo also became a Democratic Progressive Party MP. Khembo was elected in Neno East. Activists who had been trying to encourage women candidates held Neno up as "Malawi’s top performer in women’s political representation" as they also had Martha Chapendeka as a councillor in Neno North. ^[4]

References

1. "2018 Malawi Population and Housing Census Main Report" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-06-08. Retrieved 2022-02-01.
2. "Parliament of Malawi - Members of Parliament - Neno District". Archived from the original on 2016-06-02. Retrieved 2011-01-19.
3. "The newly sworn-in member of Parliament for Neno South Constituency..." Zodiak Online. 29 October 2025.
4. Kandodo, Ayamba (2025-12-05). "Liberating women from chains of political power". Nation Online. Retrieved 2025-12-11.

16°10′S35°10′E / 16.167°S 35.167°E / -16.167; 35.167