Minister of Homeland Security Ezekiel Ching’oma has asked Malawians who applied for passports before the procurement of a new passport supplier to validate their information at the Department of Immigration and Citizenship Services offices.
The minister said on Thursday that all new applications in the new system are being disposed of within the stipulated and committed timelines unlike those in the old system.
Ching’oma said his ministry in collaboration with the Department of Immigration and Citizenship Services is working tirelessly to clear the passport application backlog.
He said: “Once the data integration process is completed, the backlog will be cleared in a matter of days.
“Any applicant that needs to be validated will be automatically treated as express and their application will be cleared with speed. We are working on a non-intrusive methodology to inform those applicants whose applications need to be revalidated.”
The minister expressed satisfaction with the new system contracted to Madras Security Printers, saying it has enabled Malawian passports to be accredited by International Civil Aviation Organisation (Icao).
He said the Icao accreditation is an indication that the new Malawian e-passport is designed and manufactured to meet international standards.
Commenting on the matter, Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences governance specialist Andrew Kaponya said it is disheartening to see Malawians continue struggling to obtain passports.
Malawi has experienced passport issuance challenges ever since Attorney General Thabo Chakaka-Nyirenda in December 2021 cancelled a $60.8 million (about K103.3 billion) Techno Brain contract due to alleged poor handling of the contract by the former governing Democratic Progressive Party administration. Techno Brain signed the contract in March 2019.
