The National Registration Bureau (NRB) says it has instituted an investigation into allegations that it registered minors in the voters register.

Speaking at a news conference in Lilongwe jointly organised with the Malawi Electoral Commission – MEC, NRB Chief Director, Mackford Somanje, said the Bureau is working on the accusations leveled against them.

Somanje, however, said the Bureau will not allow any electoral stakeholder to audit or verify its ID National database as the move contravenes the country`s laws.

He said section 44 of the National Registration Act outlaws the Bureau to allow any electoral stakeholder to neither audit nor verify it database.

“We are governed by laws in this country, NRB`s mandate clearly states that we shall not disclose nor give access to the national database to anybody apart from the National Audit Office for the purposes of audit or any other government institution,” said Somanje.

The NRB Chief Director has however agreed that NRB will only grant access to its database if there will be a court order.

“A court order has to be respected, if the court rules that we hand over the database to the court yes we will do so,” he said.

Making his presentation on the same conference, MEC`s Director of Information Communications Technology, Mubawi Chisi, dismissed queries raised by the Malawi Congress Party alleging that MEC has multiple registrants saying the assertions lack substantial evidence.

“Even if two or more people were to share the same ID number or same registration receipt number, only the first registration will be recognized in the Voter Register while any subsequent voter registrations with that number will be sent into the exceptions file,” said Chisi.

Meanwhile, Commissioner Dr. Jean Mathanga has remained defiant on her competence as MEC Commissioner in relation to widespread calls for her with the rest of Commissioners to step down, saying she will leave MEC upon expiry of her contract on June 5 this year.