Government has assured officers who participated in last year’s nationwide mobile National Registration Card (NRC) issuance exercise that all outstanding allowances will be fully paid. Several officers who took part in the exercise raised concerns that they had not received their allowances more than six months after the programme ended. The Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security said the payment of allowances is ongoing and is being processed through established Government systems.
In a statement issued yesterday, principal public relations officer Mwala Kalaluka explained that the mobile NRC registration exercise, which ran from April to November last year, was conducted to ensure that all eligible Zambians obtained legal identification ahead of the 2026 General Election. According to the Ministry, the exercise targeted more than 3.5 million eligible citizens across all 156 constituencies nationwide and was aimed at strengthening the country’s democratic and electoral preparedness. To carry out the programme, Government deployed officers from across the civil service, who worked in both urban and rural areas under varying field conditions to register and issue NRCs.
Kalaluka said Government remains committed to meeting its obligations to officers who participated in what it described as a critical national exercise. He stated that allowance payments are being processed through the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS) by the Department of National Registration, Passport and Citizenship, working in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance and National Planning. Government acknowledged that some officers experienced delays in receiving their allowances, particularly during Phase Two of the exercise.
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The delays were attributed to logistical and technical challenges, including the shift from cash-based payments to the IFMIS platform, incorrect banking details, the need to open bank accounts for officers not on the regular Government payroll, and other verification processes aimed at safeguarding public funds. The Ministry has since assured officers that all outstanding allowances will be paid in full, adding that the funds allocated for the payments remain secure. We were also assured all will be well when you were voted in
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