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There was a very low turn out of voter registration in the Northern Region city of Mzuzu on Monday at the beginning of the exercise which is expected to last two weeks.
A spot check by Nation Online at five centre in the city showed that less than hundred people had registered at the close of the exercise on Monday.
Centres like Chiputula, Katoto, and CCAP Primary school were already deserted by 2PM with monitors and security officers loitering around the premises.
A police officer at one of the centre said less that 10 people had registered since the exercised opened at one of the centres in the city.
Cecilia Ngwira, of the Electoral Commission in Mzuzu, said the low turn out might be due to the fact that those who registered during the last general elections are not supposed to register again.
"Since those who registered last time are not doing it again, most of such people it seem to feel it is too early to verify their names and think there is still time to do so," said Ngwira.
A Katoto Secondary School teacher, who had not registered by 4PM on Monday, said the requirement to get transfer letters from the places where people registered in 1999 is costly.
"I can’t go to Blantyre just to get a transfer in order to vote. They should have said those who registered at a different place should re-register," he said on condition of anonymity.
At CCAP primary school, some voters were seen turning back thinking that the exercise had not started.
In the capital Lilongwe most centres registered less than three people by noon on Monday.
Spot-checks by Nation Online in three constituencies also revealed that the exercise was affected by lack of some registration materials especially duplicate voter registration certificates.
Felista Kaphamtengo, Centre Supervisor at Khwezule Primary School and her counterpart at Mchemani, Elimas Chitedze who had registered four and zero voters respectively by 12 noon, said some people were returned because their centres had no duplicate certificates.
“At the moment we can’t replace lost certificates because we don’t have the duplicate certificates. We are just telling them to check with us later hoping that they will give us the materials in the course of the week,” said Chitedze.
Kaphamtengo, who said she had already reported the matter to the returning officer, said apart from the duplicate certificates her centre was also lacking voter transfer certificates and other stationary items like punchers used for filing.
Winston Katambula, the overall Supervisor for Lilongwe North East constituency who was found supervising at Nankhone Primary School centre, which had registered one person by 11:30 AM, confirmed the lack of materials in some centres in his area.
“In most centres they don’t have these (duplicate certificates and transfers) materials. I am looking around and I hope to get them in the course of the exercise. I am also hopeful that the turn up of people will improve as we go along,” said Katambula.
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There was a very low turn out of voter registration in the Northern Region city of Mzuzu on Monday at the beginning of the exercise which is expected to last two weeks.
A spot check by Nation Online at five centre in the city showed that less than hundred people had registered at the close of the exercise on Monday.
Centres like Chiputula, Katoto, and CCAP Primary school were already deserted by 2PM with monitors and security officers loitering around the premises.
A police officer at one of the centre said less that 10 people had registered since the exercised opened at one of the centres in the city.
Cecilia Ngwira, of the Electoral Commission in Mzuzu, said the low turn out might be due to the fact that those who registered during the last general elections are not supposed to register again.
"Since those who registered last time are not doing it again, most of such people it seem to feel it is too early to verify their names and think there is still time to do so," said Ngwira.
A Katoto Secondary School teacher, who had not registered by 4PM on Monday, said the requirement to get transfer letters from the places where people registered in 1999 is costly.
"I can’t go to Blantyre just to get a transfer in order to vote. They should have said those who registered at a different place should re-register," he said on condition of anonymity.
At CCAP primary school, some voters were seen turning back thinking that the exercise had not started.
In the capital Lilongwe most centres registered less than three people by noon on Monday.
Spot-checks by Nation Online in three constituencies also revealed that the exercise was affected by lack of some registration materials especially duplicate voter registration certificates.
Felista Kaphamtengo, Centre Supervisor at Khwezule Primary School and her counterpart at Mchemani, Elimas Chitedze who had registered four and zero voters respectively by 12 noon, said some people were returned because their centres had no duplicate certificates.
“At the moment we can’t replace lost certificates because we don’t have the duplicate certificates. We are just telling them to check with us later hoping that they will give us the materials in the course of the week,” said Chitedze.
Kaphamtengo, who said she had already reported the matter to the returning officer, said apart from the duplicate certificates her centre was also lacking voter transfer certificates and other stationary items like punchers used for filing.
Winston Katambula, the overall Supervisor for Lilongwe North East constituency who was found supervising at Nankhone Primary School centre, which had registered one person by 11:30 AM, confirmed the lack of materials in some centres in his area.
“In most centres they don’t have these (duplicate certificates and transfers) materials. I am looking around and I hope to get them in the course of the exercise. I am also hopeful that the turn up of people will improve as we go along,” said Katambula.
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