2025 polls integrity at stake as NRB fails to print IDs

The National Registration Bureau (NRB) is facing criticism for failing to adequately issue national identity (ID) cards on time, potentially disenfranchising first-time eligible voters in the 2025 elections.

Political parties, governance experts and voters are concerned that the pace of national ID issuance may result in over half of the projected 10.9 million eligible voters for the 2025 elections being unable to exercise their right to vote.

Section 4 (12) of the Presidential, Parliamentary and Local Government Act mandates that eligible voters present proof of their national registration issued by the NRB.

The NRB conceded that it is facing printing capacity challenge due to its aging printers.

The NRB, however, assured that various initiatives are in progress to address the challenges, allaying fears surrounding voter registration.

In separate interviews, some eligible voters expressed frustration with the delays to receive their IDs, a situation which raises concerns of potential voter apathy, especially among the youth, who constitute the majority of the electorate.

Mirriam Kanyundo, from Mbayani Township in Blantyre, said she applied for her ID in December 2022 and is yet to get it.

“If the delays persist, I may not be able to vote in 2025,” she said.

Kanyundo added that every time she visits NRB offices, she is told they are experiencing printing challenges.

Kennedy Nyasulu, from Zomba, expressed similar worries.

“I applied for the ID in October 2022 so that I should use it to register for the 2025 elections,” he said.

On her part, Mzuzu-based Linda Mzumara said she applied for the ID in January this year and gets all sorts of excuses when she visits NRB offices.

She said: “I attained the voting age in December and in January this year, I applied for the ID so that I could register to vote in 2025.”

Duncan Tembo, from Chikwawa District, echoed similar sentiments, stressing he applied for the ID to register for the 2025 polls.

The situation expressed by these eligible voters mirrors the fears and frustrations of thousands of first-time voters on NRB’s waiting list.

UTM Party spokesperson Felix Njawala said they are closely monitoring the situation.

He said: “We will not remain passive observers if this trend persists, but take decisive and appropriate action to ensure that the rights of our fellow citizens are upheld and protected.”

United Democratic Front spokesperson Yusuf Mwawa said they are not happy with the way NRB is handling the IDs.

“We know that an election is a process not an event. What we observe now could be symptoms of rigging ahead of the 2025 elections.”

Democratic Progressive Party spokesperson Shadric Namalomba was yet to respond to our questionnaire while Malawi Congress Party spokesperson Ezekiel Ching’oma asked for more time.

Experts feared that if this issue is not addressed many youths may not vote in the 2025 elections.

Governance expert Mavuto Bamusi said such challenges will negatively impact on Section 77 of the Constitution which creates space for all citizens to vote as a majority would not have accessed the national ID.

He argued that the ID may act as an infringement on citizens’ right to vote since some are struggling to access it.

 “The NRB system can also be manipulated deliberately by politicians so that some districts are not allowed to register to suppress numbers in favour of others,” said Bamusi.

Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace national coordinator Boniface Chibwana also stressed that the NRB needs to up its game so as not to disenfranchise voters.

To counteract the challenges, governance experts suggested that the NRB should improve its printing capacity, establish offices at traditional authority level, use Malawi Posts Corporation offices and mobilise people to obtain their national IDs.

In response to the criticism, NRB spokesperson Norman Fulatira stated that despite the printing capacity challenges, the process of printing and issuing national IDs has improved in recent months.

Fulatira said: “NRB has had a backlog of about half a million records which needs to be printed and distributed.

“So far, NRB has procured an additional 20 new printers of which almost half have already been delivered. The remaining printers will be delivered soon.”

On Friday, Minister of Homeland Security Ken Zikhale N’goma announced in Parliament the suspension of expiry date of national IDs, ensuring that service providers will no longer deny citizens access to services for having expired IDs.