RESPONSE TO ECZ CLARIFICATION ON DISCREPANCIES IN THE VOTER REGISTRATION FIGURES

RESPONSE TO ECZ CLARIFICATION ON DISCREPANCIES IN THE VOTER REGISTRATION FIGURES

Chishala Kateka, President New Heritage Party
11 January 2026

I wish to thank Mr Kasaro, ECZ CEO, for the prompt clarification regarding the observed differences in the reported figures between his speech and that contained on the ECZ website.  More so as today is a Sunday. 

The point of having a website for any institution, is for the provision of information in order for the public to access the same, without the need to revert to the personnel in that institution.

Any information that is availed to the public, must of necessity be, clear, unambiguous and be able to standalone in being able to communicate that information.  Failure to doing that, a footnote or some other explanatory note, should be availed to the public so that they have an understanding of what that table is trying to communicate.

Would it not have been more reasonable for ECZ to explain the difference between Mr Kasaro’s speech figures which related to 2025 and the table on the website, which too clearly stated that these are 2025 figures, to avoid confusing less knowledgeable persons such as I myself? 

ECZ is a critical institution in this country, more so this year, as we head towards elections. 

Mr Kasaro was present at the meeting that was held between ECZ and Opposition Political Parties, at which we informed ECZ that we had received a lot of complaints from angry members of the public regarding the manner that the Mass Voter Registration was being conducted. 

Mr Kasaro should therefore be very alive to the fact that there is a lot of mistrust between the public and this government and that therefore, paying attention to detail regarding the information being shared, is of paramount importance.