Obongi officials suspend national identity card registration exercise
Men fill forms to acquire national Identity card during an enrolment exercise in Arua Town recently. The exercise in Moyo and Arua districts has been marred by shortage of equipment, among other challenges. PHOTO BY FELIX WAROM OKELLO.
What you need to know:
They cite shortage of equipment, wrong labelling of villages and failure to pay local leaders involved in the exercise as reasons for its suspension.
MOYO/ARUA
Authorities in Obongi County in Moyo District have suspended the national identity card registration exercise due to numerous irregularities.
According to local leaders, the exercise in the county has been marred by shortage of kits, non-payment of local leaders facilitating the exercise, wrong labelling of villages, among others. They said some of the available equipment had broken down.
The Obongi County MP, Mr Hassan Kaps Fungaroo, said they would resume the exercise when the government addresses the challenges. “We have suspended the mass enrollment exercise in Obongi County because we feel that proceeding with taking wrong data will not yield a good result and it will be waste of time,” Mr Fungaroo said on Monday.
However, the Resident District Commissioner, Mr John Abingwa, criticised the suspension of the exercise, saying it is a “wrong decision”. He said the leaders should have consulted with technical persons in the district before making a decision. “I urge those who made the decision to be patient and they should have a broader national outlook for the exercise which is meant to benefit all citizens,” Mr Abingwa said.
The district coordinator for the ID project, Mr Kenneth Munduga, yesterday said: “It is true we do not have equipment in some areas of Obongi, but this does not warrant cancellation of the exercise because we are in the process of rectifying the anomalies. Besides, the LCs and the MP do not have legal powers to halt the exercise.”
The Ministry of Internal Affairs spokesperson, Ms Pamela Ankunda, said: “There is a system in which the reporting is done. If equipment breaks down at a parish level, the enrolment officer informs the district IT officer. It is a swift process. We send a replacement as the kit is being brought back to Kampala.”
Elsewhere, in Arua District, some parts of Muni in Arua Municipality, the exercise has not kicked off because no equipment such as cameras and documents have been received.
Ms Celina Anguko, a resident of Muni, said the government should do more ensure that the exercise goe on smoothly. “The irregularities should be addressed before it is too late,” she said.
