Ministry of Homeland Security Principal Secretary responsible for National Registration Bureau (NRB), Mphatso Sambo, says NRB has confiscated nine national ID cards which were issued illegally to refugees.
Sambo was speaking in Lilongwe on Thursday when he appeared before the Parliamentary Committee on Defence and Security.
Recently, Ministry of Homeland Security relocated refugees and asylum seekers who lived and conducted business outside the refugee camp.
The exercise followed the expiration of the April 15, 2023 deadline government had given refugees residing outside the camp to voluntarily return to Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Dowa.
According to Sambo, they have also confiscated one fraudulent ID from a refugee at Dzaleka Refugee Camp and the person is in police custody.
“Malawi’s identity card is one of the most secured legal documents in the world hence it is not easy for someone to tamper with it as it possesses digital verification and magnetic readable zones, among other security features. That is why it was very easy for us to trace them,” said Sambo.
He added that the NRB is in the process of lobbying Parliament to review the current Registration Act and strengthen the registration process.
“Previously, it was a challenge as the Act did not have the mandate to register refugees hence the need to review it,” he said.
In an interview, Acting Regional Immigration Officer for the centre, Superintendent Alexander Maseko concurred with Sambo on the need to review the Registration Act saying the review is a step ahead in dealing with the malpractice.
Reported by Sheminah Nkhoma & Patience Longwe
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