Malawi kicks off first phase on issuance of National Identification Cards

The National Registration Bureau (NRB) in the Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security on Tuesday rolled out National Identification system which will see 5,000 citizens of the country aged 16 and above being issued with national identity cards.

NRB spokesperson, Norman Fulatila said in the first phase, NRB will issue 5,000 IDs which will also help the bureau to do a test of its concept of providing national IDs eg the procedures, logistics, capacity, training among other issues.

Fulatila said NRB has selected 27 sites in 11 districts: Lilongwe, Mchinji, Dowa, Salima, Blantyre, Chikwawa, Thyolo, Mangochi, Chitipa, Mzimba and Nkhata Bay.

Fulatila said “For example in Lilongwe we are testing the concept in area 36, area 49, area 47, T/A Khongoni just to mention afew.”

Fulatira said at each site less than 200 Malawians will be registered and be issued with a national ID.

Fulatira”Currently, it will be taking two weeks during for one to get the card because the capturing kits are not physically connected to the server.”

On Tuesday, Fulatila led a group of Journalists where they visited Area 47 and at Kamwendo Registration centres in Lilongwe and Mchinji respectively where journalists appreciated progress of the exercise.

During the trip turn out was very good in all the centres.

During the visit, citizens were producing Drivers Licence, Passports, Voters Cards for identification while in the rural areas, citizens were being identified through Area Development Committees after a complete vetting.

Fulatila said: “The registration process will involve vetting to ensure that only bonafide Malawians are registered.”

Thereafter, the bureau will embark on a second phase which will target 95,000 Malawians before embarking on a mass registration targeting 9 million Malawians in 2017.

The Government of Malawi and development partners are currently mobilizing resources for the mass registration exercise.

Currently, the bureau is also registering Cabinet Ministers, Members of Parliaments, Principal Secretaries, Chief Executive Officers. According to Fulatila, the bureau will also register all Government employees.

Commenting on the exercise, Public Sector Reforms Management Spokesperson, Constance Kilimo, said the process has not been easy.

Kilimo said the registration of Malawians will help for easy planning of national development.

“Malawians have been loosing medical facilities to people who were not legible to receive the drugs and access health services especially in the boarder districts but now Malawi will serve a lot of money,” said Kilimo.