National Statistics Office bails out Mec
The Malawi Electoral Commission (Mec) says the use of an aged fleet of vehicles for its secretariat has increased maintenance costs which erode all funding for recurrent transactions.
Mec Chairperson Justice Maxon Mbendera said this on Monday when National Statistics Office (NSO) donated 24 motorcycles to the electoral body.
Justice Mbendera said the current fleet at Mec is aged and was supposed to be replaced in 2013 adding that government bought only 10 land cruisers which are now used by commissioners.
“The use of aged fleet for the secretariat has increased maintenance costs. We will appreciate if other institutions of good will would emulate the gesture by NSO and assist us with transportation.
“The donation of 24 motorcycles is a big boost to us. We will proceed to deploy these motorcycles to the councils where our staff at the moment does not have any means of mobility because at the moment our district staff has to beg for transport from other government departments,” he said.
Mbendera further said the donation has come at a right time when the commission is planning to conduct a thorough demarcation process where they will review boundaries of all constituencies and wards.
He said by its nature, the assignment will involve a lot of activity at the council level and the donation will go a long way in aiding staff in the councils to discharge their duties effectively.
NSO has been a crucial partner to the electoral process since the establishment of Mec in 1998. It has provided statistical estimates which Mec has based its logistical planning and a good example is data used in planning for voter registration for the May, 2014 registration.—Mana
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