Government shifts posts on passports deal

By Isaac Salima:

The Ministry of Homeland Security has indicated that it will require a month to identify a new supplier of the passport system.

Initially, ministry officials told Malawians that they would finalise the process in November last year.

This is happening at a time long queues and delays in service delivery continue to be dominant features at Department of Immigration and Citizenship Services headquarters in Blantyre.

Principal Secretary for Homeland Security Steven Kayuni told The Daily Times Thursday that progress was being made on the issue.

“The process is in session. Procurement process is still ongoing. [We can make] a projection of a month [to identify a new supplier],” he said.

Kayuni could not be drawn to say who is supplying the system now.

A three-month extension period of the contract between the government and E-Tech Systems, who were supplying the passport system, ended in November last year.

The contract was extended after the initial one had ended in August the same year.

Controversy surrounds operations at the Department of Immigration and Citizenship Services, which stopped printing passports across the country last week.

Our sources indicated that the suspension of services was in connection with the issue of supplier of the passport system.

The sources said officials were discussing the issue of whether to re-engage E-Tech or find another supplier.

Recently, Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Authority Director General Eddingtone Chilapondwa told us that they handled the procurement issue for the new supplier.

“We have advised Immigration on what to do and you can crosscheck with them,” he said

Immigration spokesperson Wellingtone Chiponde was yet to respond to our inquiry on when their services were expected to resume.

Meanwhile, Centre for Social Accountability and Transparency Executive Director Willy Kambwandira has called for transparency on the issue of passport system supplier.

“The continued silence and secrecy around the new supplier for the passport system raises serious accountability questions in terms of how the supplier was identified and whether the new supplier has the capacity to meet the passport demand,” he said.