By Pemphero Malimba:
Applicants seeking passport services at the Department of Immigration and Citizenship Services (Dics) in Lilongwe continue to face challenges in accessing these services months after the department resumed passport provision.
In February this year, the department encountered technical glitches that forced it to suspend passport services in all its offices.
However, a month later, the department resumed services at the Lilongwe office alone.
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By August this year, Dics had extended and resumed passport services through its offices in Blantyre, Mzuzu and Mangochi.
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During a visit to the Immigration offices in Lilongwe Thursday, The Daily Times found scores of people waiting to access the services.
One of the applicants, Dickens Chitsonga, said it had taken him several days to complete the passport form and have his passport photo taken.
“So far, I have filled out the passport form and had my picture taken, and in the next few days, I will be making the payments.
“It has not been easy for me because I have had to wait a long time for my turn and I am not sure if I will indeed be able to finalise all the processes soon,” Chitsonga said.
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Several other applicants we encountered at the department recounted the drawn-out periods they had to wait to initiate the passport processes.
Hastings Mbewe from Kasungu feared that it may take him several days to facilitate the payment process and considering that he was staying at a guest house within the city, he would have to spend more on accommodation.
“The government needs to ensure that the situation is improved so that we do not have to spend so much time getting our passports processed,” Mbewe suggested.
Dics spokesperson Wellington Chiponde said the department has intensified efforts to tackle the challenges affecting passport applicants.
“We have made our application forms available online, and for those who may not have access to the internet, we are also providing these passport application forms physically in our offices.
“There is no need for anyone to claim that they are unable to access the passport application forms. As far as the provision of these services is concerned, there is no backlog,” Chiponde said.
He further claimed that the department is clearing all applicants on the same day they wish to access passport services, even though several applicants claimed otherwise.
