Voting materials abandoned in Nkhotakota North East

Voting materials at Sanga PrimarySchool in Nkhotakota North East Constituency were yesterday left abandoned by polling staff, including security officers, who deserted the place.

The polling station lies along the periphery of Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve, about 10 kilometres off the M5 Road.

A visit to the site at 12:05 pm found no Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) staff manning the materials, risking their security.

When contacted, presiding officer Davis Machezo said he was at Dwangwa Trading Centre.

But reacting to the incident, constituency returning officer Hastings Mwale said he would report the matter to authorities.

He said all was set for today’s polls with only few stations asking for materials which were yet to be dispatched as of yesterday afternoon.

Nkhotakota district commissioner Medson Matchaya refused to comment on the specific incident, but said the pre-inspection exercise for voting materials was marred by transport woes.

He said as of yesterday, all the district’s 150 polling stations had received voting materials where 178 606 registered voters are expected to vote today