By Pemphero Malimba
Members of the Parliamentary Committee on Defence and Security have voiced their concerns about insufficient equipment for printing passports at the Department of Immigration and Citizenship Services (Dics).
Salim Bagus, the committee’s chairperson, told The Daily Times that the issue is exacerbating challenges faced by Malawians when seeking passport printing services.
Bagus noted that the reduction in passport fees may have led to long queues at Dics offices.
In an effort to appease Malawians after a prolonged issuance crisis, Dics announced in March a reduction in fees, with the price of an ordinary passport lowered from K90,000 to K50,000.
“Under the new system at the department, they are currently printing at least 900 passports per day. However, this is insufficient compared to the number of people applying for passports,” Bagus said.
He emphasised the need for authorities to acquire additional equipment to meet the demand and suggested procuring machines similar to those previously used by Techno Brain, the company contracted to print passports, which had higher printing capacities.
“With such machines, I am confident that the challenges at the Immigration Department regarding passport issuance will be resolved,” he said.
Meanwhile, Immigration spokesperson Wellington Chiponde has disclosed plans by the department to commence passport printing in Mzuzu and Mangochi.
“We anticipate that printing passports in Mzuzu and Mangochi will reduce the number of applicants visiting Lilongwe and Blantyre for services. We will soon announce the commencement dates to the public,” Chiponde said.
He also criticised some transporters for allegedly encouraging passport applicants to spend nights at Dics premises in an attempt to push passport issuance beyond stipulated times.
“After paying K50,000 for a passport, applicants are compelled to wait overnight at our offices. This practice is unacceptable and people must adhere to the stipulated waiting period for passports,” Chiponde said.
For regular passports, the current waiting period stands at 10 days.
Dics resumed passport printing in March this year after a suspension in February due to what was described as a significant system glitch.
Services resumed initially in Lilongwe, with Blantyre following suit earlier this month.
BAGUS—This is insufficient
