Multiple gaps cited in ID card registration

Citizens register for National ID cards at Link Bus Park in Fort Portal town yesterday. The exercise, that kicked off on Monday, has registered a number of hitches with most people complaining about the lengthy process. Photo by Ruth Katusabe

What you need to know:

Disappointment. Many of those who registered complained of either defective or incomplete registration kits, rejection of previously approved documentation and also the lengthy process, resulting in one person taking much time being registered.

COUNTRYWIDE- The rolled-out registration for national IDs entered the third day yesterday, but snap assessments by our reporters countrywide showed a pack of problems has slowed execution of the exercise.

Registration officials and prospective ID holders our reporters interviewed, both in urban and rural areas, variously spoke of either defective or incomplete registration kits, rejection of previously approved documentation such as baptism cards and marriage certificates.

There were also complaints about the lengthy process, resulting in one person being registered per hour.

The registration form has four pages and those registering are expected to provide detailed information such as place and date of birth, parents’ particulars, nature of citizenship, marital status and details of spouses and avail a document, among them Voter’s registration Card, local council I letter or passport, to be eligible to register.

There is a committee at the registration desk, comprising the parish chief and Intelligence agents, to screen applicants and verify their documents.

However, existing Local Council officials are not legally in office following the 2007 court ruling for yet-to-be-held elections, rendering their decisions susceptible to challenge.

There is also concern that some of the individuals who obtained the Ugandan passport irregularly, as internal investigations by the Ministry of Internal Affairs has shown, could exploit the loopholes to irregularly obtain the national Identity Card.

The exercise is to cost Shs285 billion over two years, ministry spokesperson Pamela Ankunda said last weekend.

Internal Affairs minister, Aronda Nyakairima, issued a statement last evening in which he said some individuals were already selling the registration forms or extorting money from unsuspecting Ugandans under the guise of helping them to register.

The registration is ongoing at 7, 410 parishes countrywide, and cards will be issued after completion of this first phase in four months.

Only Ugandan citizens of 16 years and above eligible to register.
For those who have more than one spouse, they will be required to fill a second form to input particulars of the spouses.

Other identification documents include a driving permit or birth certificate.
There were reports of long queues, most attributed to the lengthy registration procedure in some parts of the country.

Only a few people trickled to other registration centres in spite of huge publiclity for the exercise crucial to consolidate data on Ugandans.

In the West
Police in Bundibugyo border district said they are investigating reports that Congolese nationals were crossing to Uganda to seek registration.

DR Congo shares a long borderline with Uganda running from Arua in West Nile region to Kisoro in the south-west.
In Hoima town, there was a low turn up at the registration centres while in Fort Portal,

Enrolment officers complained of inadequate registration materials.

Our reporter's tale

9:30am: Kololo East Primary School. The excitement? Registering for my National ID. There was no banner, sign post that indicated the registration exercise, aptly named “mass enrollment”, was underway here. And no! none of the officers was in uniform of any of the government agencies in this project.

A registration officer who declined to give his name told me: “You cannot register from Kololo if you are a resident of Kyebando. Go and register from your area of birth or residence.”]

Off I went to Eso Corner in Kampala central business district. An hour after 10am few people were trickling in at the registration desk stationed outside Social Security house. The officials crowd the only laptop around while others sat idly. The supervisor here, unlike that of East Kololo, is more liberal.
“That is wrong,” he said about my narrative of being turned away earlier in the day. “We were told to register everybody so long as they are Ugandans and have documents listed in the forms,” said Fiona Buteba, the civic centre supervisor. Had I carried any identification documents, I would have registered.

Government statement on ID project

It has come to our attention since the start of the Enrolment Exercise on April 14, certain individuals have engaged in illegal and/or corruption related activities that include; selling registration forms; extorting money to help people register; forging eligibility documents; and, knowingly giving false information. I wish to clarify the following:
1. This exercise is free.
2. There are form-filling guides that have been translated into different languages to ease the process.
3.T he field requirements on the forms like names, place of birth etc are meant to aid the process of citizenship verification
4. All Enrolment officers are supposed and encouraged to help citizens at the enrolment centres with filling the form.
5. This Exercise is meant to only register Ugandan citizens who are 16 years and above.
6. The additional documents required are only supporting documents and are not conclusive of citizenship Verification. There are Parish Citizenship Verification Committees at every Parish to verify citizens.
7. Some Ugandans-especially cult leaders who are mobilising against citizen registration are breaking the law. It is the right of every citizen to be registered.
8. The Mass Enrolment Exercise will take place for four months at all the 7, 410 Parishes across the country.
9. More equipment is being continuously delivered to the registration centres. Registration forms can be picked and filled at one’s convenience between 8am.-5pm. every day.
10. There are two different types of forms:
a) For Individual details
b) For extra spouse (s) details. The extra form for the spouses allows an individual with more than one spouse to register all of them.
Call 0772-255010, 07722-55011 and 0312-518565 for further enquiries/clarification.

Gen Aronda Nyakairima (cgsc) MP Minister of Internal Affairs/National Coordinator National Identity Card Project

Reported by Charles Mwanguhya, Ivan Okuda, Felix Warom Okello, Felix Basiime, Godfrey Mayengo, Francis Mugerwa, Ruth Katusabe, Edison Amanyire & Enid Ninsiima, Alfred Tumushabe, Robert Muhereza & Dennis Edema.