All Malawians will register for IDs—minister
Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security Grace Chiumia yesterday assured that all eligible citizens will be registered in the mass registration campaign for the national identity cards (ID).
The minister gave the assurance after her joint visit with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) resident representative Mia Seppo to three registration centres at Mgona, Kauma and Ngwenya in Lilongwe City.
She said: “Indeed, there are still long queues, but I would like to assure all Malawians and people in the Central Region that we are here and we will register people until everyone is registered.
“We will extend the registration for a few days if need be. Also please note that some [registration] equipment will be left behind at the District Commissioner’s [DC] office for those who have not yet registered to be registered.”
But the minister encouraged people not to wait until the last minute to turn up for registration when registration centres in their areas are about to close.
Currently, the second and third phases of the national ID registration exercise are underway in Lilongwe, Likoma, Blantyre, Nsanje, Thyolo and Chikwawa.
The first phase registered 1.68 million Malawians, representing over 94 percent of the targeted population in Mchinji, Salima, Kasungu, Dowa, Nkhotakota and Ntchisi. Some registration kits have also been left at the DC’s offices in these districts to allow for all to be registered.
In her remarks, Seppo said the national registration campaign is based on the principle of universal coverage; hence, no one will be left behind.
She added that in Lilongwe, five biometric registration kits will be left behind for people who did not register in the district to register in centres to be announced by the National Registration Bureau (NRB).n
