Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) has sent away potential registrants at voter registration centres during the first three days of the second phase of registration due to absence of National Registration Bureau (NRB) kits, it has emerged.
Spot checks conducted yesterday in Blantyre, Thyolo, Kasungu, Zomba, Mchinji, Likoma and Nkhata Bay established that NRB was yet to start conducting national identity (ID) card registration and verification of national ID in many centres.
The second phase started on November 9 and will close on November 22.
The Nation observed people being turned back either because of lack of IDs or their national registration could not be verified.
At Ligowe Primary School registration centre in Thyolo Mikolongwe Constituency, political party monitors counted 123 people who showed up and failed to register on Saturday and Sunday because of either lack of IDs or their national registration could not be verified.
The centre registered 169 people on the first day and 198 on the second day of the exercise.
The situation was the same at Chinguluwe Primary School in Thyolo Bvumbwe Masenjere Constituency where centre supervisor Victoria Chagunda said 121 people registered in the first two days, but more than 100 people have failed to register.
She said: “We reported the matter to MEC and have been told that biometric registration kits will be in today so we are telling people without IDs that they should start coming on Tuesday.”
In most registration centres, there were short queues and people were starting the registration process the moment they arrived at the centre.
The registration process takes about five minutes from the time a person arrives to getting their certificate.
At Sozowa Primary School in Blantyre North Constituency, 84 people have registered since Saturday while 121 have been registered at Youth Hall in Likoma.
Sozowa registration centre supervisor Juma Eleveni, who is also the school’s headteacher said people tend to show up in large numbers during the final days of the exercise.
In Nkhata Bay, a visit to three centres also revealed that people were being told to wait for the NRB devices.
During monitoring of voter registration in Mchinji yesterday, MEC chairperson Annabel Mtalimanja noted challenges of low turnout and absence of NRB in some centres.
She highlighted the need for a stronger mobilization campaign as they monitored registration centres in the district.
In a statement on Sunday, NRB Principal Secretary Mphatso Sambo said deployment of staff to registration centres was delayed by logistical challenges.
“NRB teams are working around the clock to have the deployment completed by Monday November 11 2024,” he said.
The Presidential, Parliamentary and Local Government Elections Act prescribes the ID card issued by the NRB as the sole identification for one to register as a voter.
During the first phase of voter registration MEC projected to register 3 423 066 people but 2 224 307 turned up, representing 65 percent reach. n
—Additional reporting by Holyce Kholowa, Kondwani Mussa, Chrispine Msiska
