Mobile NRC issuers moan over delayed payments

Mobile NRC issuers moan over delayed payments

By Charles Musonda

THOUSANDS of civil servants engaged by the government to conduct mobile issuance of National Registration Cards (NRCs) are still owed huge sums of money, a source within says.

In an interview, the source said government owed civil servants in unpaid allowances ranging between K20,000 and K130,000 each.

The source said they were owed money from the exercise they undertook from April to November last year.

“It is now exactly 10 months down the line without us getting our money. We were engaged with specific instructions, and ever since we concluded the exercise, it’s a promise after promise,” the source said.

The source said they were owed millions of kwacha which the government had failed to pay upon completion of the exercise.

“The daily rate is K950. Each of the officers is owed in the ranges of K20,000 to K130,000 depending on when one started working. These are sweet talkers. They have failed to pay us despite that Kalaluka guy committing,” the source said.

When reached for a comment, Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security principal public relations officer Mwala Kalaluka dismissed the allegation, saying nothing had changed from the communique he issued on January 12.

Kalaluka said it was not true that the affected civil servants were owed any money.

In his statement last month, he said government mobilised personnel from the civil service to support the registration and issuance of NRCs exercise through mobile registration field conditions.

Kalaluka said the government cannot abandon its responsibility to honour obligations owed to officers who rendered a critical national service.

“Government wishes to update the public and all participating officers that the disbursement of allowances was ongoing and being handled through the government’s Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS) by the Department of National Registration, Passport and Citizenship, in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance and National Planning,” he said.

Kalaluka said government was also aware that some officers experienced delays in receiving their allowances.

He attributed the delays to logistical and technical challenges encountered during Phase Il, including the transition from cash-based field payments to the IFMIS platform.

“Additional challenges arose from incorrect banking details, the need to open bank accounts for officers who are not regular government employees, and other technical verifications required to safeguard public funds,” Kalaluka said.

He assured all officers who participated in the exercise that all outstanding allowances would be fully paid.

“Funds earmarked for these payments remain secure, and targeted efforts are underway to resolve all outstanding cases. Officers with pending payments are hereby encouraged to ensure that their banking details are accurate and correctly registered on the IFMIS platform to facilitate the timely completion,” he said.

Kalaluka also warned that while government respects freedom of expression, officers and stakeholders must utilise established official channels to raise concerns or seek clarification.