MEC explains workers’ pay delay

Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) has urged all polling workers who have not yet received their honoraria to be patient and wait for further communication from the commission.

MEC said it is doing everything possible to ensure that all people that worked during the May 20 Tripartite Elections are paid.

In a statement, MEC chief elections officer Willie Kalonga says the electoral body is aware that some teachers and other staff who worked during the elections have not yet received their honoraria.

Kalonga says poll workers are being paid directly through their bank accounts and that the late payments are a result of incorrect bank details provided to the commission.

“Poll workers were required to submit their bank details and their information checked against attendance registers as proof that they had worked. To date, the commission has sent for payment the details for over 81 000 staff that worked during the election,” says Kalonga.

He says, so far, the commission has received more than 10 300 records which have been returned and it is following up the details for these staff as soon as they are returned by the banks.

On Friday, police in Lilongwe tear-gassed over 3 003 teachers for staging a demonstration over the delayed honoraria payment.

The concerned teachers from Lilongwe Rural East, Lilongwe Urban and Lilongwe Rural West were demanding that MEC pays them their honoraria for their involvement in the polling exercise that lasted more than the scheduled eight days.