12.3 million register for ID cards
National Registration Bureau (NRB) says since 2016 it has registered 12 287 349 people aged 16 and above for national identity cards (IDs), surpassing an initial target of 11.3 million.
Briefing journalists in Lilongwe on Tuesday amid queries that NRB data in some districts was more than projected populations, NRB Principal Secretary Mphatso Sambo said the beating of the target should inspire confidence in the citizenry that the bureau has the capacity to deliver on its mandate.
“This demonstrates that we are making progress and we are confident of our capacity to deliver in line with our mandate,” he said.
In a presentation on the status of registration, NRB head of identity management Mbawaka Mwakhwawa said the 11 351 931 target was based on National Statistical Office (NSO) population projections for 2024.
The registration figure is also slightly higher than the United Nations population projections for 2024.
Dur ing a National Election Consultative Forum (Necof) in Lilongwe on Tuesday this week, NRB came under the spotlight as stakeholders questioned its capacity to partner the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) to deliver a credible election for 2025.
NRB is expected to play a crucial role in voter registration and identification as the Presidential, Parliamentary and Local Government Elections Act prescribes the NRB-issued national ID as the sole identification document for one to register as a voter.
Thus, yesterday’s press conference was also meant to allay fears of lack of capacity and paint a positive picture that NRB is set for its role in the electoral process.
Asked how many Malawians aged 18 and their database by voting day next year, Sambo said they have the figures, but “let me not speak for MEC, but NRB”.
But The Nation analysis based on figures presented during the briefing show that NRB may have 9.2 million people aged 18 and above in its register by mid-2025. The figure is two million more than the 6.8 million registered voters in the 2019 Tripartite Elections.
Mwakhwawa’s presentation showed figures of registered Malawians and those anticipated to be registered against their age group from which The Nation drew its conclusion.
According to the presentation, from 2016 to 2023 the bureau captured 10.4 million Malawians in its database.
During another campaign launched in June last year to May this year, 1.6 million more were registered and others have been registered during the mop up exercise.
From the total of 12.2 million registered for national IDs since 2016, Lilongwe has the highest number at two million or 17 percent of the total recorded.
Malawi Law Society, some political parties, traditional leaders and civil society organisations have expressed r e s e r v a t i o n s w i t h t h e arrangement to have the national ID as the sole identification document.
