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.
Follow and Subscribe Nyasa TV :
How can the government and civil service manage the country and plan for the future without compulsory registration of births marriages and deaths? This should come before personal IDs.
man mulibe info. Fufuzani zimenezo zinayambanso kale
The world Health Organisation ethics do not condone discrimination of foreigners resident in boarder areas so the issue of saving does not add up instead deal with the corruption which is rife in Malawi.
On this one thumbs up Government.This has been long overdue and Malawi has been labeled as not a serious country when it comes to security and doing business when citizens cannot be identified.Our neighboring countries have already done that long time ago but us up to now because of mis allocated priorities.Next thing bring back the National service or pioneer kind of to do the farming and vocational skills.Again our neighbors have vibrant operating National service that is improving their food security while us kadzidzi wina anathesa pioneer thinking it was political opponent instead of reforming it.
kkkkkkkk koma zomangoti our neighbors have vibrant what what…..mwatani kod? our neighbours have a vibrant civil war??? kalionera ndiwachabe man….tiyeni tipange zathu basi…zomangoonera kuti auje does this we will alwalys be ongotsatila.