ID registration glitches anger committees

Members of parliamentary committees on Defence and Security alongside International Relations have expressed frustration with glitches in the National Registration Bureau (NRB) mop up registration campaigns ahead of voter registration.

During their visit to Molele Primary School registration centre in Thyolo on Friday, the legislators were welcomed by a concern that one of the locals, a 60-year old man, had been turned back and refused to register for the national identity (ID) card.

His story compelled the legislators led by International Relations Committee chairperson Patrick Bandawe and Defence and Security Committee deputy chairperson Simon Salambula to ask the NRB staff to justify their action.

Explaining the man’s predicament, an NRB staff said the man was turned back because “it doesn’t make sense that a 60-year-old man like him did not register in the previous

national registrations”.

But the response did not go down well with the committee members who said the decision to deny the 60-year-old was a violation of his right to have a national ID.

The parliamentarians asked NRB Principal Secretary Mphatso Sambo to cite the provision that restricts Malawians of that age from registering.

Said Salambula: “Don’t apply your opinions in this national exercise. We are not kids, and we don’t want this very bad conduct in Malawi.

“If he [NRB staff] is doing that in our presence, what happens when we are not present?”

In response, Sambo said: “Honourable chair, on behalf of my staff, I already explained that sometimes we encounter such problems. So we handle each and every situation based on how we have received it. In this case, we are going to take action on the matter.”

Bandawe said NRB staff should hunt for the man and process his registration.

“Please let’s handle them [national ID applicants] peacefully because they are also Malawians. Maybe he was a Jehovah Witness Church member and now he wants to register,” he said.

Before touring Molele Primary School, Masambanjati agriculture office and teachers development centre (TDC) mop up registration centres, there was also tension between NRB staff and the legislators at Thyolo NRB office.

Lawmakers for Blantyre North Francis Phiso, Machinga East Esther Jolobala and Zomba Chingale Lonnie Chijere Phiri asked NRB officials questions regarding the challenges the mop up registration campaign was facing.

Some of the issues were shortage of registration forms, lack of awareness campaigns, limited five-day mop up registration and shortage fuel for generators.

Responding on the shortage of registration forms, Sambo attributed the challenge to the national ID renewals. He said registration forms are estimated to cater for the new registrants only.

“Priority should be given to those without National ID cards as one way of ensuring that those that have reached the age [of 16] to attain a national ID card should register. Those coming for renewal are using registration forms meant for new applicants,” he said.

The visit, which was conducted on the first day of the exercise in the areas, faced a low turnout as Masambanjati agriculture office and TDC mop up registration c e n t r e s r e g i s t e r e d three and 16 applicants respectively.

The parliamentary committees’ tour comes about three weeks after National Initiative for Civic Education (Nice) Trust and some traditional leaders faulted NRB mop-up registration campaign, saying it is marred with various challenges.

MEC director of media and public relations Sangwani Mwafulirwa is on record as having said that no person will be allowed to register for the September 16 2025 General Election without a national ID.

Malawi Law Society, on the other hand, stated that while Section 77 of the Constitution gives all persons a right to vote in any general election, any impediment to the actualisation of this right goes against the tenets of liberal democracy.