Nira clears air on boxer Male’s National ID crisis
Male (right) failed to make it to Rabat, Morocco for the All-Africa Games because of failure to acquire a national ID. Photo by Ismail Kezaala.
KAMPALA- The National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) has offered details on the status of boxer Joshua Male’s national ID registration, which denied him a trip to Rabat, Morocco for the All-Africa Games.
Male, arguably the best among the boxers who camped at Luzira Prison ahead of the Games, missed the trip because he lacked a passport because he lacked a National ID, a mandatory document. His teammates travelled Friday.
Reacting to the Daily Monitor story “The National ID costs boxer ticket to Rabat,” published August 13, 2019, Gilbert Kadilo, Nira’s public relations officer, wrote a letter to the editor on the matter.
“Records indicate that the said individual registered for a National ID at our Kawempe Division office on June 17, 2019 a month and a half ago, under the name Male Joshua Arthur, Application ID number 113465002TZ6. His data was received at the NIRA Kololo headquarters and is under process currently at image enhancement stage,” the August 16 letter partly reads.
Reluctance
The letter further notes that Nira has continuously been registering people for IDs since April 2016 at 117 service centres across the country, in addition to outreach activities such as the recently concluded sub-country registration drive. But, Kadilo said, it is unfortunate that Ugandans, like Male, ignore these opportunities to register in time and only respond when there’s an “urgent need.”
On claims that Male spent money chasing the coveted document, Kadilo said “registration for first National IDs is free of charge, and any attempt at inducing our staff to offer “expedited services” is a criminal act and may lead to prosecution.”
He added that Nira handles applications on a first-come-first-served basis, and will not compromise its processes on account of individuals’ “emergencies”.
