Lilongwe IDs ready for distribution

Lilongwe District Council says it is ready to distribute national identity cards (IDs) through traditional authorities (T/As).

Lilongwe’s consignment of IDs arrived last Saturday through Kamuzu International Airport and was taken to Lilongwe District Council offices for sorting and delivery to T/As.

Lilongwe district registration officer, Thandi Chiumia, said distribution will be done through T/As and school centres where people registered for the cards.

“Distribution of the IDs will start early December after completing all the logistics such as taking the IDs to centres and orientation of staff on the distribution exercise,” she said.

Chiumia said her office is planning the distribution in consultation with village heads to avoid overcrowding in centres.

“We are going to brief the village heads or block leaders about the ID cards that have come and when to collect them.  The chiefs will tell their subjects the school where the national identity cards for their village are delivered,” she said.

Chiumia said IDs will only be given to the owner of the card, adding IDs for the deceased will be returned to district registration offices at the end of the distribution exercise.

In a related development, for Lilongwe District Council director of planning and development Douglas Moffat said the arrival of the IDs will ease identification of beneficiaries in the Public Works Programme.

Moffat said the absence of national IDs has led to a rise in ghost workers.