Mukandila challenges cancellation of NRC and passport, Demands due process

Tonse Alliance secretary general Celestine Mukandila has challenged the Government's cancellation of his National Registration Card (NRC) and Zambian passport, saying his nationality should not be determined administratively without transparent legal and judicial processes.

Mukandila said he was prepared to have the questions surrounding his nationality determined through the proper legal and judicial channels.

His remarks follow a Government Gazette notice dated September 4, 2026, which cancelled his NRC and passport after the authorities determined that the documents had allegedly been obtained through fraud, false declaration and misrepresentation.

The notice did not provide details of the alleged fraud or explain the circumstances under which the documents were obtained.

Mukandila said he could not accept a situation in which his nationality was effectively determined through an administrative process, particularly where official documents he had held for years were suddenly being treated as having been obtained fraudulently because he was born outside Zambia.

“What I cannot accept is a situation in which my nationality is effectively determined administratively, without transparent due process,” Mukandila said.

He said he remained confident that the Constitution and the courts would protect the principle that public authorities must act within the law and that citizens should not be deprived of their rights without lawful authority and due process.

Mukandila said he was not seeking special treatment, but what he described as the rights available to every citizen.

“Let the law be followed. Let the evidence be produced. Let due process be respected,” he said, adding that the rule of law should prevail over what he described as political expediency.

The Government's Gazette notice directed Mukandila, and anyone in possession of the cancelled documents, to surrender them to the Department of National Registration, Passport and Citizenship, a police station or passport office.

It also warned institutions and members of the public not to recognise or rely on the cancelled NRC and passport, stating that their use may constitute an offence.

The dispute now raises questions over the basis for the Government's determination and the legal process through which Mukandila's nationality and the validity of his documents will ultimately be settled.

Mukandila's statement indicates that he intends to pursue the matter through the legal and judicial system.