Uganda: Government Acknowledges Challenges in National ID Project

Published: 30/Jul/2014
Source: Uganda Radio Network

By Halima Athumani

Internal Affairs Minister Aronda Nayakairima has noted that the National ID registration exercise has been delayed by exhortation, delay in provision of kits, unreliable power supply, malfunctioned kits and others.

He cited cases of exhortation in Kampala, Wakiso and some border areas like Busia and Buliisa.

Aronda noted this in his brief to Parliament on the on-going mass registration of citizen’s exercise under the National Security Information System (NSIS) Project commonly known as the National Identity Card Project.

His statement came after Members of Parliament demanded a statement from government giving progress on the registration exercise and explaining problems being highlighted by the citizens.

In his brief, Aronda told Parliament that the exercise is in addition facing a challenge of politics where he accused some politicians of claiming that the exercise is targeting 2016 General Elections.

He added that also partial deliveries of registration kits to districts and cases of some administrative units’ names missing in the enrolment system caused some citizens to shun registration.

Aronda also blamed cults for misleading some people not to register citing the triple 6 and Enjiri sects which he said whose beliefs do not support registration calling the process satanic.

He also explained that government will have to formalize citizenship of communities’ like those in Kigumba Sub-County, Jeeja Village and Kiryandongo district which claim to have come to Uganda in 1856 at the invitation of the Omukama Kabalega from Kenya before registering for IDs.

He added that only Ugandans with dual citizenship and issued with a Certificate of Dual Citizenship are being allowed to register.

Aronda told Parliament that at the end of the mass enrollment next month, government expects to have a total of 14million people leaving a balance of 4.2million to make the estimated target of 18million people.

On extension of the registration exercise as demanded by Members of Parliament, Aronda noted that they are going to examine case by case in different regions and then present Parliament with a study and carefully consider a month or two months or no extension.

“We accept the case for extension but to what extent?”, Aronda noted.

Aronda said that government will decide through cabinet about the period of extension and he gets back to Parliament. The registration exercise is expected to close on 14th August 2014.

Read more and listen to audio: here.

Themes: ID Documents and Passports
Regions: Uganda
Year: 2014