Nearly a month after the Department of Immigration and Citizenship Services announced it would resume issuance of passports from its Lilongwe office and then roll out the service nationally, people in regional offices have their patience tipping to the edge now.
A visit to the Blantyre office on Thursday found that there was nothing on the ground.
People we found camping there hoping for a green light said this has been the case since government made the announcement of resumption of services at the Lilongwe office sometime last month.
Edward Kambanje, one of the concerned people who also led demonstrations against the situation during the week, said the issue at the Department of Immigration is affecting many people in more ways than anyone can imagine.
Kambanje argued that a passport is no longer just for identification these days but rather a resource that most Malawians have grown to start using for businesses outside the country, travel in search of greener pastures and for medical attention abroad.
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“We are not camping here just to be seen being difficult. We really want the passports. If you are to go round and ask the people one by one why they are here you will understand how much this issue is affecting us.
“I know so many individuals here who are looking for the passport for medical reasons and truthfully we all cannot travel to Lilongwe for the passport. Government must do something,” he said.
Kambanje further said they have also heard reports that some people are paying for express passports but are not being given.
“What is happening is wrong. First they lie that the system will be up and running then they take money for a service they are not offering. Being in Malawi is not for the faint-hearted,” he said.
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Osward Juma from Mangochi concurred with Kambanje saying nothing is happening at the Eastern Region department.
Juma further said the people from Mangochi specifically are struggling because majority of them rely on plying businesses with merchandise from South Africa.
“There is nothing that is happening. Some people managed to fill the forms but nothing has happened. It has been long since we saw issuance of passport from this side.
“Last week officials from the office gave back forms to some people so that they take them to Lilongwe. But when they went to Lilongwe they found out nothing is happening. They actually came back with no passport. It is honestly a big mess,” he said.
There is also no passport service in Mzuzu.
Wellington Chiponde asked for a questionnaire via whatsapp but did not respond.
“Write me on Whatsapp so that I respond on record,” he said.
Gift Trapence of Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) and Charles Kajoloweka of Youth and Society (Yas) have described the situation as negligence of the highest order on the part of government.
“Government has failed Malawians and has not been honest on the issue of issuance passports. Government has inconvenienced a lot of Malawians who are failing to get passports. Failure to issue the passports is a dis-service to the citizens. The President should rescue Malawians from this crisis,” Trapence said.
Kajoloweka said the leadership at Immigration Department has been too slow in responding to the urgency to resume the services.
“It is imperative that the President should seriously review the top leadership question at the Immigration Department. We urge authorities to fix this crisis that has toxic ramifications on individual lives and the economy,” he said.
