[3] In the late 15th century, the Zwangendaba Ngonis that fled from South Africa settled in northern Malawi.

However, the town of Mzimba began to decline in importance in the 1940s, and the administrative center was eventually moved to Mzuzu.

The Malawi government decided not to proceed with the split, citing concerns about the potential costs and logistical challenges that could be involved.

[7] The final decision was made by the Malawi government, in consultation with relevant stakeholders, including traditional leaders, natives, and the district's Member of Parliament.

[7] The district's diverse landscape features the Viphya Mountains that stretch across its southern and eastern regions, while the central area is occupied by the Mzimba Plain.

The district has many small-scale industries such as food processing with services of tobacco curing, oil seed crushing.

Mzimba's natural attractions include the Viphya Mountains and Vwaza Marsh Game Reserve, among others that offer opportunities for eco-tourism, wildlife conservation and cultural tourism.

[3] At the time of the 2018 Census of Malawi, the distribution of the population of Mzimba District by ethnic group was as follows: 78.3% Tumbuka, 9.1% Chewa, 6.3% Ngoni, 1.4% Lomwe, 1.1% Yao, 1.0% Tonga, 0.9% Sukwa, 0.4% Lambya, 0.3% Nkhonde, 0.1% Sena, 0.1% Mang'anja, 0.1% Nyanja and 0.8% others.

Most of the players in the national team, including international star Mwayi Kumwenda were born and grew up in Mzimba.

[9] On 10 June 2024, a Malawian Defence Force Dornier 228 carrying Vice-President of Malawi Saulos Chilima, former First Lady Patricia Shanil Muluzi, and seven other occupants, crashed in Chikangawa Forest Reserve in Nkhata Bay District; all on board died in Malawi's deadliest aviation accident.