Government takes mobile registration services to Lake Kariba ferry disaster victims

By Shingirai Michelle Nyandoro

The Civil Registry Department, in partnership with UNICEF, has taken mobile civil registration services to communities affected by the Lake Kariba ferry disaster, bringing essential documentation services closer to families in need.

The 10-day targeted mobile registration exercise, running from October 26 to November 4, 2026, is facilitating the issuance and replacement of birth and death certificates, as well as national identity documents.

The initiative is aimed at helping affected families access vital civil registration documents without the additional burden of travelling to registry offices, particularly those facing challenges in accessing such services.

Registrar-General Mr Henry Tawona Machiri said the initiative demonstrated Government’s responsiveness to the needs of disaster-affected communities by ensuring that families could access essential civil registration services.

“Following the Lake Kariba ferry disaster, we saw the need to bring civil registration services closer to the affected communities,” he said.

“Working in collaboration with United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), we are assisting families with the issuance and replacement of birth and deaths certificates and national identity documents.

“We want to ensure that everyone who needs these services can access them and that no one and no place is left behind.”

The exercise is also significant in ensuring that children have legal identities through birth registration, while helping families access other vital civil registration services.

UNICEF Country Representative, Ms Etona Ekole said birth registration is essential in recognising children’s identities, upholding their rights and opening opportunities.

“Birth registration is more than the issuing of a certificate; it is about recognising every child’s identity, opening pathways to essential services and opportunities, as well as protecting their rights,” she said.

Ms Ekole said UNICEF, in partnership with the Civil Registry Department, was supporting mobile registration services to reach families affected by the Lake Kariba ferry disaster and other communities facing barriers to accessing civil registration.

She said similar initiatives had also been undertaken in Buhera, Mutasa, Mangwe, Gokwe North, Mudzi, Matobo, Beitbridge, Mbire, Nkayi and Chipinge districts.

Chief Mola welcomed the Government initiative to bring civil registration services close to communities in his area following the ferry disaster to bridge distance and travel barriers to static registration office in Kariba.

He appealed to Government to consider adding more days in future mobile registration exercises to cater for the large population in his community.

“We are grateful to the Government for bringing these services closer to our people, especially families affected by the ferry disaster,” he said.

“However, we have a large population and three days is not enough to serve everyone who needs assistance.

“We appeal to the Government to consider allowing at least two weeks for programmes of this nature in each area so that more families can access these services and every child has an opportunity to be registered.”

The mobile registration teams are scheduled to serve affected communities at strategic centres in Kariba.

The exercise commenced at Mola Primary School, from October 26 to 28, and is currently underway at Mayovhe Primary School in Ward 4, running from October 29 to 31.

The teams will then move to Msampakaluma Primary School from November 2 to 4, 2026 for the final phase of the exercise.

As at October 29, 2026, a total of 790 documents have been issued reflecting the high demand of services in the community.

Members of the Public in the communities are encouraged to take advantage of the exercise where civil registration documents are being issued free of charge.

Source: Government takes mobile registration services to Lake Kariba ferry disaster victims – herald

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