Printing passports in Mangochi starts – Immigration Dept

Printing of passports has finally started in Mangochi following successful installation of the printing machine, the district’s Immigration Officer In-Charge, Vivian Kasambo disclosed on Friday.

Kasambo made the disclosure during an extraordinary full council meeting where he invited the council members to visit the immigration office at any time to appreciate the printing process.

He said Mangochi Immigration Office would also carter for eastern region districts of Balaka, Zomba, Machinga and surrounding areas.

“Previously, passport printing was centralized and it was done in Lilongwe, Mzuzu and Blantyre,” Kasambo said, adding: “Today, the service has been decentralized and brought closer to the people of Mangochi. This is a very good development for the district.”

Kasambo added that with the development, cases of people traveling long distances to Lilongwe or Blantyre to process the traveling document were now over and that the message should be spread for the public to know.

Meanwhile, the council has welcomed the development but called on the Immigration Department to ensure that all passport applicants were treated equally and that there should be no issues of bribery and corruption.