According to Mtumbuka, treating disabled Malawians exactly the same as everyone else can, in practice, produce deeply unequal outcomes, given the additional economic, physical and social obstacles many are forced to navigate. Mtumbuka said such a system could ensure disabled Malawians are deliberately and proactively included in opportunities such as education scholarships, agricultural input support and social protection initiatives – rather than being left to fend for themselves against the wider population. Without targeted intervention, he warned, many people with disabilities risk being permanently shut out of programmes specifically intended to help lift vulnerable households out of poverty. The MP said a quota system would provide a practical, workable mechanism to ensure disabled Malawians receive a fair share of government support and are properly represented across programmes designed to improve livelihoods nationwide. His intervention comes amid broader, ongoing concerns over the inclusion of disabled people in Malawi’s national development agenda, particularly within education, agriculture and social protection.