By SIMON MUNTEMBA
THE mobile issuance on National Registration Cards (NRCs) is not for the purpose of voter registration only but also for identification of Zambians, Parliament yesterday heard.
Home Affairs Minister, Stephen Kampyongo, told Parliament that NRCs were important national identification documents that distinguished citizens from non-Zambians.
Responding to questions after delivering a ministerial statement on the 2020 mobile NRC exercise, Mr Kampyongo said a registration card was proof of legal identity.
Solwezi Central Member of Parliament Stafford Mulusa (UPND) had asked if Government has plans to allocate a specific number of NRCs to people of North-Western Province.
This is because he believed that the mobile exercise had already begun in Luapula Province.
But Mr Kampyongo said assertions that there was mobile issuance of NRCs in Luapula were not true.
“The registration of people is not only limited to elections. NRCs are used for many other things such as getting a job, opening a bank account, obtaining a passport and many others including for one to be eligible to election to Parliament.
“The mobile exercise is only meant to increase accessibility to national identity documents. So to say that people are waiting for mobile registration is misplaced,” Mr Kampyongo said.
The minister announced that Government would embark on mobile issuance of NRC from August 1, to September 30, this year. He said his ministry was targeting to issue 1.5 million NRCs across the country in a two phased approach with the first phase consisting of Luapula, Northern, Copperbelt, North-Western and Eastern provinces.
Mr Kampyongo said phase two would be conducted in Western, Southern, Lusaka, Central and Muchinga Provinces respectively.
