HOME Affairs Minister Stephen Kampyongo says consultations on issuance of National Registration Cards to inmates are ongoing.

And Kampyongo says over 331,472 people have been issued with National Registration Cards in five provinces since the exercise commenced.

Speaking at a press briefing, Monday, Kampyongo said there was a need for a census to be conducted to find out how many inmates did not have NRCs.

“Obviously consultations are currently going on to see how that court ruling of allowing inmates who are in our correctional facilities exercise their liberty to vote. You may wish to know that even if people go into incarceration, those that are Zambian citizens go with their NRCs and as you can see, on their records there are NRCs there so if there will be need to give NRCs to those inmates who could have lost, it certainly shall be done. We still have got the second phase going on and we can see at what point the exercise can be extended to the correctional facilities. We will also depend on the information that will come from the correctional service command because they should be able to take census of how many people could have lost their NRCs for example in Chimbokaila so that even as officers are assigned to go there, they know the numbers of those who have lost because it’s not everyone in the correctional facilities who don’t have NRCs,” Kampyongo said.

Kampyongo urged eligible citizens who lived in provinces which were in the first phase to take advantage of the exercise.

He said the second phase of the exercise was scheduled to commence on September 1, 2020.

“As of yesterday, the 23rd of August, the cumulative totals of the province stands as follows, First registrations, males, 29,403, female, 32,202 total, 61,605. Replacement of damaged and lost NRCs; male 7,897, female 8,868 and the total is 16,765 bringing the grand total for Northern province to 78,370, that’s for Northern Province. Luapula province, first registration male 27,593, female 26,938 total 54,531. Replacements male 8,801, female 12,357 total 20,458 bringing the grand total for Luapula Province to 74,989. Copperbelt Province first registration, male 13,745, female 15,889 total 55, 65. Replacement or damage of NRCs male 12,393, female 11,653 total 24,460. Bringing the grand total for Copper belt province to 79,111. North Western province first registration stands at male 13,745, female, 15,899 total 29,644. Replacements male 6,661, female 5,929. Total 12,590 bringing the grand total for North-Western province to 42,234,” said Kampyongo.

“Eastern Province first registration stands at male 19,070, female 20,177 total 39,300. Replacement male 9,951, female 8,373 total 17,468 bringing the grand total for Eastern Province to 56,768. The grand total cumulative for all the five provinces now stands at 331,472. The exercise is ongoing even as we intensify preparations for the phase two of the mobile registration which kicks off on the 1st of September 2020 in Southern, Western, Central, Muchinga and Lusaka Province. I can only urge all eligible persons who live in provinces that are in the first phase to take advantage of the exercise.”

Meanwhile , Kampyongo said the Ministry had not received reports of foreign nationals being given NRCs.