Don’t take National IDs as collateral - Police

Police have issued a warning to money lenders who use the National Identification cards of clients as collateral security.
Police yesterday said Ugandans whose cards are withheld by the money lenders cannot identify themselves or make certain transactions where a national ID is required. 
 “If found, it is illegal and it is also criminal, so you [money lenders] will be charged. A person who commits this offence and is convicted is liable to a fine not exceeding Shs960,000 or faces imprisonment not exceeding three years or both,” Mr Fred Enanga, the police spokesperson told journalists yesterday.

 Mr Enanga added: “As you know, National IDs have no economic and monetary value and are supposed to be used exclusively for identification purposes. Therefore, any act of confiscation, removing, taking or handing over a national ID as security is illegal.”
 He made the remarks based on reports of National IDs being used as collateral in Buwenge Town and the districts of Dokolo and Amolatar, among others.

“We want to warn money lenders against taking national Identification cards as collateral security and it has become a habit, especially for money lenders that give out micro-loans to members of the public who don’t have security. We would like to call upon anyone whose national ID was used as collateral, or confiscated to report to the nearest police station for further assistance,’’ he said.
Section 77 of the Registration of Persons Act, 2015 prescribes a fine not exceeding Shs960,000 or three-year jail term for individuals who breach the law.

The law
Section 77 of the Registration of Persons Act, 2015 penalises
•A person who wilfully destroys or attempts to destroy, or mutilates or attempts to mutilate, a national identification card 
• A person who without authority deprives or dispossesses a holder of his or her national identification card
• A person who uses another person’s national identification card
• A person who  unlawfully keeps or takes possession of a national identification card belonging to another person