Nice intensifies voter education in Mchinji

National Initiative for Civic Education (Nice) Trust has intensified sensitisation among Mchinji residents amid reports that many people are not aware of the ongoing voter verification exercise in the district.

Reports say many registered voters do not know that they are supposed to go to centres they registered to get duplicate voter certificates if they lost the previous ones and process transfers in case they moved to new areas.

In an interview, Nice Mchinji District civic education officer Paul Kanyenda said most people were confused after the Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal ruled that new registration of voters should stop.

“Many people thought it would not be necessary to go to registration centres because Malawi Electoral Commission [MEC] changed the voter registration calendar in phase three and four,” he said.

Kanyenda said due to the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, Nice will conduct awareness campaigns through mobile public address system and Mudziwathu Community Radio, WhatsApp messages, churches, mosques and traditional leaders.

Geoffrey Chiona, a community member, said he will go to obtain a duplicate voter certificate as he lost the one he had.

“I thank Nice for the timely messages,” he said. 

Mchinji district commissioner Bester Mandere said so far people are turning up at in the district’s 150 polling centres to get new voter certificates or transfers.

“On the first day on Friday, many people were not aware of the exercise, but reports from the district elections supervisory team shows that people are now turning up at registration centres,” he said.

About 243 070 people registered in Mchinji ahead of the May 21 2019 Tripartite Elections.