The National Registration Bureau (NRB) has categorically denied reports that it is registering underage people ahead of the 2025 elections.
Speaking at a press briefing on Wednesday in Lilongwe,Principal Secretary at NRB,Mphatso Sambo, dismissed the claims, describing them as baseless.
He stated that the Bureau has only been issuing birth certificates to minors, not registering them to vote.
Sambo emphasized that the NRB has registered over 15 million people in the country, and the process has been transparent and rigorous.
“We have registered over 15 million people in this country, and I can assure you that the process has been transparent and rigorous,” he said.
He warned that anyone spreading false information about the NRB’s operations would face legal consequences.
“We will not hesitate to take legal action against anyone who spreads false information about our operations,” he said.
Sambo also addressed a recent threat by interns to down tools, stating that the matter had been resolved through discussions.
However, he revealed that the letter purportedly signed by the interns was forged, and an investigation would be conducted.
“The letter was forged, and we will investigate this matter further,” he said.
Simply put, NRB is the only government department in Malawi mandated to register all births, deaths, marriages, citizens and non-citizens of 16 years and above for the issuance of respective identification documents such as certificates and identity cards (IDs).
In order to implement this mandate, NRB has 28 District Registration Offices (at every District Commissioner’s Office), Three City Registration Offices (Blantyre, Lilongwe and Mzuzu), and 33 functional Post Offices across Malawi.
 has categorically denied reports that it is registering underage people ahead of the 2025 elections. Speaking at a press briefing on Wednesday in Lilongwe,Principal Secretary…){kind=link}