NRC SCAM ALERT
Thousands being given ‘fake’ IDs in northern part of Zambia
By Mast Reporter
THOUSANDS of people in the northern part of Zambia may not obtain voters cards and vote in next year’s general elections because they are being issued with unusable national registration cards (NRCs), The Mast has learned.
Some of the affected citizens in Northern and Muchinga provinces suspect that government may be deliberately issuing the faulty NRCs to ensure they either don’t vote or their votes are declared invalid as spoils in the general elections next year.
The recipients are failing to sell maize to the Food Reserve Agency (FRA), access their Social Cash Transfer payments and register for the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) because electronic systems are rejecting their NRCs as invalid.
Chief Misengo of Northern Province is furious that the mobile registration team that was sent to his chiefdom gave his subjects NRCs which are being rejected everywhere as invalid when they try to access public services.
“Pantu ninkwata ama reji icilebutukila kuli 200 ayashili ma reji. Abantu baleleta lyonse amakompulenti kuli ine. Te ine nkopa; mwebatuma abakukopa nimwe ba gavamenti [because I have close to 200 NRCs which are not even NRCs, which people are bringing to me. People are complaining to me everyday. I’m not the one who issues NRC, it’s you the government],” an upset Chief Misengo said in an interview with Radio Mano FM.
He said he was finding it difficult to understand how the registration staff could give his subjects NRCs with such glaring mistakes, which he suspected might be a deliberate scheme to disenfranchise them.
Victims of the scam complained to Radio Mano FM they were shocked that some of the information on their new NRCs had been handwritten with pens, with some bearing details of different districts and chiefdoms from where they are being issued.
Denisias Mulenga appealed to the Ministry of Home Affairs to withdraw the defective NRCs and issue fresh ones with correct details because the ones they had been given were useless.
“My name is Denisias Mulenga. I’m also complaining about these NRCs we have been issued here. Wherever we are going they are being rejected because of the details that have been written with a pen instead of typing,” Mulenga said.
“The people they sent here messed things up. They must come here and give us proper NRCs because these ones are not working for us.”
Loveness Chalwe said since she was born in 1962, it was the first time she was seeing NRCs being issued with some of the particulars written with a pen.
Chalwe said an NRC should not be written with a pen, likening the practice to theft.
She said she was suspicious because such anomalies were likely to deprive many recipients of the new NRCs under the mobile voter registration of their right to vote in next year’s elections.
“Nangula mu bwipi nande ati balya bantu bakalavota bonse ninshi tapali tacakamoneke ukuti balivota [or in short let me just say that those people [with defective NRCs or with wrong details of districts and chiefdoms], even if they vote they will just waste their time because it will be as if they had not even voted],” Chalwe said.
Mwape Chrinos displayed the NRC recently issued to his sister, which had some particulars written with a pen and had mixed-up details.
“Where there’s supposed to be Chief Munkonge in Kasama, they have written Chief Nabwalya Chiombo in Mpika District. Nomba ninshi uyu muntu tabamulufishe [now, haven’t they lost this voter]?” Mwape said.
Petilia Mulenga is stuck with her maize after FRA turned her away because of an invalid NRC, which she obtained recently through the same mobile registration programme.
“I brought my maize here and I have been told it cannot be weighed because my NRC has detailed written with a pen and the system is not picking it. Now, where will I take this maize?” Mulenga, who also identified herself as Bana Shadi, said.
“I am on FISP and I get Social Cash Transfer. But I am being told my new NRC is invalid because the system is rejecting it. Nomba ninshi buteko bwashani? [then, what kind of a government is this]?”
Mary Sampa also complained that FRA had refused to accept her maize because her NRC is faulty.
“Ndeilishanyako pa ma registration aya baisatukopa kuno. Ine nalilima amataba no kutwala ku FRA kulya. Nalipimisha but reji naifilwo kubomba bwino bwino. So twapapata mwebo cikumine twafweniko [I grew maize and delivered it at FRA, but my NRC is not valid. I am appealing to those responsible to help us],” Sampa said.
