National Initiative for Civic Education (Nice) Trust says Nkhotakota is experiencing low voter registration turnout, particularly in the district’s northern areas.
Speaking in an interview on Monday, Nice Trust district project officer Helena Mwiba said while the numbers are also low in all centres in the district, the northern areas are experiencing significantly lower turnout.
“We noticed during monitoring that Nkhotakota North is experiencing very low turnout and we have intensified our community outreach activities to civic-educate people on the importance of registering and voting,” he said.
Senior Chief Mphonde of the district confirmed the low turnout and emphasised the importance of voter registration.
He said it was his wish that eligible voters should register to vote in the September 16 2025 General Elections.
“I urge my subordinates to continue encouraging their subjects to register and participate in the democratic voting process, but it is sad to see people not coming forth in large numbers,” said Mphonde.
Nkhotakota district elections officer Nickson Chimangeni said some centres such as Chipungu are registering as low as two people in a day.
He emphasised that extra efforts for mobilisation are needed.
In the meantime, Nice Trust, in collaboration with the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC), is working to increase awareness and encourage community members to register.
To encourage people to register, MEC accredited civil society organisations (CSOs) to conduct awareness on the importance of registering to vote.
Besides the CSOs, political parties, religious and traditional leaders also mobilise people to register through different platforms.
Registration centres opened on October 21 and are expected to close on November 3 2024.
