The Minister of Homeland Security, Peter Mukhito, says government is making serious efforts to address persistent delays in the issuance of passports, as well as corruption across various security agencies.
Speaking in Lilongwe during a news conference on Friday 23rd January 2026, Mukhito expressed concern that citizens are being forced to wait for long periods before receiving their passports, a situation he said continues to disrupt trade and business activities with foreign countries.
“The delays are because of the contact that was signed between the government of Malawi and Madras Security Printers of India. Somehow we can say both parties contributed to the problem because the contract was signed in February 2025 between the Government of Malawi and madras which required an upfront payment of 60 percent which is about 17.9 million US dollars but the time we assumed office, we found that only 9 million US Dollars had been paid”. He told the media.
Mkhito said his ministry is also actively working to secure additional passport booklets in order to clear the existing backlog.
He said the government has since engaged the contractor, leading to the delivery of 10,000 passport booklets in early January 2026.
He further disclosed that three heavy-duty passport printing machines destined for Mzuzu, Mangochi and Blantyre are currently in transit and are expected to arrive in the country next week.
The minister said the time has come for all security agencies to work together with dedication to eradicate corruption, which he noted has been negatively affecting the delivery of government services.
This issue of human trafficking is becoming a very serious matter and mainly because it is also affecting our relationship with our neighbouring countries. Unfortunately if you look at the human trafficking business, there are so many criminalities involved including loss of human lives”. The minster added.
Mukhito also warned the Immigration Department against engaging in or allowing human trafficking, where people are illegally smuggled in the country.
He said the practice is against the laws of Malawi and warned that anyone found involved will face the full force of the law.
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