GOVT CLARIFIES SHORTAGE OF MATERIALS REQUIRED TO PRINT PASSPORTS
By Chileshe Mwango
Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security Permanent Secretary in charge of Technical Services Dickson Matembo has clarified that the passport office is issuing the document to selected clients after due scrutiny as the stock levels for booklets are too low.
Mr. Matembo explains that passport booklets have been in short supply for a long time now after the previous government failed to procure them until the new dawn administration came into office and has taken aggressive steps to correct the situation.
He says the ministry has since engaged the supplier of the booklets who is currently in the country to appreciate the challenge.
Mr. Matembo says this measure will result in a speedy procurement of the booklets which normally takes six months and has assured that the situation will normalize by 16th September 2022 when the booklets are delivered.
Meanwhile, former Ambassador to Ethiopia, Emmanuel Mwamba has expressed concern that government has in the last four months failed to issue passports to the general public owing to the shortage of materials required to print the documents.
Ambassador Mwamba says this is an infringement on people’s rights to movement as many are failing to do so because government has failed them despite paying for the service.
PHOENIX NEWS