National Registration Bureau (NRB) says it is complying with a court order to conduct citizen registration in Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) voter registration centres, but concedes that it is logistically incapacitated.
Speaking in an interview yesterday, NRB Principal Secretary Mphatso Sambo said they have started dispatching more staff and equipment to voter registration centres.
But when asked to cite MEC registration centres where NRB has assigned officers to issue national registration services, he said he needed to consult.
Said Sambo: “We have complied with the court order to assist every Malawian to register. Logistically, you cannot get to all 1 757 voter registration centres in one day.
“If we are not at the centres you visited, that does not mean that we did not comply. We are dispatching forms and officers. Let me check on the exact centres and let us speak later.”
He said the national i d e n t i t y ( I D) ca r d registration is a process that requires more NRB officers and supporting documents such as letters from chiefs for people to qualify.
“I hope you understand that not everyone is eligible for registration. You will be the same people to fault NRB for registering ineligible people,” said Sambo.
In a case where five individuals challenged the use of the national ID as the sole form of identification for voter registration as prescribed in the Pres identia l , Parliamentary and Local Government Elections Act, the High Court of Malawi last Friday ordered NRB to immediately take steps and put in place adequate mechanisms to ensure that eligible people who visit MEC centres without a national ID, should be given a “unique identifier” and then be allowed to register as voters.
The five claimants in the case are George Chipwaila, Geoffrey Banda, Alex Phillip Dimba, James Chitsulo and Crino Masulani.
In his ruling, Judge Mandala Mambulasa observed that long distances, a lack of transport funds and mobility challenges arising from old age, injury, illness and disability could be some of the factors hindering people to register with NRB.
Meanwhile, MEC has extended the period of phase one of voter registration but specific dates and are expected to be revealed at the end of phase three.
In a statement dated October 31 2024 and signed by MEC chairperson Annabel Mtalimanja, the commission said the move to extend phase one is aimed at addressing the period when citizen registration services were not available at MEC centres following the High Court ruling.
Reads the statement in part: “The commission will engage NRB to appreciate its plans for rolling out citizen registration processes in the manner prescribed by the order and directive of the court so as to inform the extent to which the commission shall need to adapt its schedule.”
However, MEC said it will proceed with phase two of voter registration as scheduled to start from November 9 to November 22 with the hope that NRB will by then have taken the necessary steps to start issuing citizen registration alongside voter registration.
Reacting to the development, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) spokesperson Shadric Namalomba said yesterday they were not impressed by MEC’s move until all concerns around the election processes are resolved.
“We still maintain our stand. They must suspend voter registration until we resolve all issues at a round-table with MEC, NRB and political parties,” he said.
Four opposition political parties on Tuesday asked MEC to discontinue the ongoing voter registration exercise for the September 16 2025 General Elections or address their demands.n
