Who we are – Mbala Municipal Council

MBALA DISTRICT

NORTHERN PROVINCE - ZAMBIA

OUR VISION

The vision of the district is a prosperous district through provision of improved equitable, quality and diversified Municipal Services in an effective and efficient manner in order to enhance sustainable development.

OUR MISSION

Our mission is to “accelerate development efforts towards the vision 2030 without leaving anyone behind.”

About The District

Mbala District is situated in the Northern Province of the Republic of Zambia. It shares international boundaries with the Republic of Tanzania in the north, and district boundaries with Senga in the southeast, Nakonde in the east, Kasama in the south and Mpulungu in the west. The district has a surface area of about 10,832 Km2 . Mbala district has an altitude ranging from 400m above sea level in the western side where the Great Rift Valley lies and 2,067m above sea level in the South-eastern side where Nsunzu Mountain is, the highest mountain peak in the district. Temperatures range from 15o C in the cold season to 29o C in the hot season. On average, the district receives 1,200 mm of rainfall annually which is good for agriculture. Mbala District has 9 wards: Nsunzu, Lwandi, Kawimbe, Mwamba, Mwambezi, Kazimolwa, Moto Moto, Intala and Kalambo Ward.

Tourist Attractions

The Kalambo Falls

The Kalambo Falls, Zambia’s tallest water falls standing at 235 metres tall is a single drop water fall located on the boarder of Zambia and Tanzania at the South East end of Lake Tanganyika.
Downstream of the falls is the gorge with a width of about 1km and a depth of 300 meters.

In 2023, archaeologists announced the discovery of wooden structures estimated to be 476,000 years old predating Homo Sapiens, making the Kalambo Falls one of the most important archaeological sites in Africa.

The MotoMoto Museum

Motomoto Museum located 4.2km Northeast of Mbala Town is the second largest Museum in Zambia after Livingstone Museum, furnished with a magnificent display of ethnography and cultural artifacts.

It was officially opened in 1974 and named after Bishop Joseph Dupont a pioneer missionary who was nicknamed “Moto Moto” meaning fire in Swahili language.

The Museum houses collections of weapons of World War I, earliest tools used by mankind, Slavery, Trade and Natural History artifacts.

Investment Opportunities - Agriculture

History

The facility began as Tanganyika Airport in 1885 and later became known as Abercorn International Airport during the colonial period.
After Zambia’s independence, it became Mbala International Airport.
In the mid-1970s, it was converted mainly into a Zambia Air Force (ZAF) military facility.
In 1986, it was named Samora Machel in honour of Mozambican President Samora Machel.
Samora Machel’s last journey is closely linked to Mbala: he departed from the area in October 1986 before his aircraft crashed at Mbuzini, South Africa, killing him and others.

The Mbala Cenotaph, also called the Mbala War Memorial or Abercorn Memorial, is an important historical monument connected with World War I. It stands at the main roundabout in Mbala, formerly known as Abercorn.

It commemorates 1,467 men from Northern Rhodesia who served as carriers for the British forces during World War I and died from fighting, wounds or sickness.
It particularly remembers 433 African carriers who died in Northern Rhodesia during the war.
Mbala was the location of the formal surrender of the German forces in East Africa on 25 November 1918, bringing the East African campaign of World War I to an end.