As the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) second phase of the voter registration exercise enters its final week, discrepancies have emerged on the process being followed, raising eyebrows.
Our spot checks revealed that some centres are proceeding to register people for the national ID with the National Registration Bureau (NRB) while others are being told to return a few days later.
The checks in Nkhata Bay, Likoma, Mchinji and Blantyre City on Friday revealed that four of the 14 councils where the second phase of the voter registration exercise is being conducted, some new registrants for the national ID were being told to come back later for voter registration while others were registering them right away.
The second phase of the registration exercise rolled out last Saturday and runs up to November 22 in 93 constituencies and 217 wards after the first phase recorded 2 224 307 potential voters in the September 16 2025 General Elections.
A High Court ruling ordered NRB to conduct new registrations at all MEC centres in addition to verifying lost, expired or tattered cards.
In an interview at one of the centres in Blantyre on Friday, an NRB identity verification officer (name withheld) said they were giving new applicants three days to register for the elections with MEC.
“With new registrants, it takes about three days for the system to sync information on their ID numbers to complete the registration process. It is unfortunate that few people are coming for new registrations right now before the final days of the exercise,” he said.
Asked what would happen to a new applicant who will come on the closing day, the officer said: “All they will have is an ID. They will not be able to register for voting if there is no extension.”
Blantyre City South Lunzu parliamentary aspirant Alex Chimwala said having visited three of the nine centres in the constituency, new ID registrants were told to come back after seven days. He said he noted the trend at Nkolokoti, South Lunzu and St. Theresa primary schools.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) monitor at South Lunzu Primary School Clement Yona and his United Democratic Front (UDF) counterpart Alinafe Maloya in separate interviews expressed worry over the trend.
But new registrants at Nkhata Bay Admarc, Chikale, Maria Goretti, Kalambwe and Nkhata Bay Prison who were referred to the district’s NRB offices proceeded with the MEC registration there and then.
At Kamwendo Primary School in Mchinji where 33 new applications were recorded last Friday, the registrants were also proceeding to the MEC desk right away.
NRB Principal Secretary Mphatso Sambo said the bureau is investigating the discrepancies, saying some of the registration attendants are not adhering to their standard operating procedures (SoPs).
“We don’t expect such discrepancies. In any case, we are intensifying monitoring to ensure our staff adhere to laid procedures.
“It could be that those being sent back do not satisfy the requirement to bring two witnesses before they get their new registration. ,” said Sambo.
The last phase will start from November 28 to December 11, cover ingthe remaining 61 constituencies.
With additional reporting from Florence Nyasulu, Zondanie Mbale, Chrispine Msiska and Wisdom Chirombo
