MPs fault NIRA on National ID registration, want extension

PARLIAMENT. Members of Parliament (MPs) have demanded for an extension of the massive registration of citizens after expressing dissatisfaction with the three-month exercise that the National Identification and Registration Authority (Nira) conducted early this year.
Nira on February 11 commenced a three-month massive registration of citizens with the intention to enrol them on the national register and for issuance of National Identification Numbers (NINs). The exercise was carried out at sub-county, town council and municipal/city division headquarters.

The exercise of registering Ugandans aged 16 and above also involved issuing of National Identity Cards to those who had never picked theirs since the first massive exercise that was done at village level before the 2016 elections.
However, MPs during a plenary session chaired by Speaker Rebecca Kadaga on Thursday, claimed that in most parts of the country, there were irregularities in the way the recent exercise was conducted by Nira officials.

Mityana District Woman MP Judith Nabakooba, rising on a matter of national importance, told the House that most of her constituents missed out because of what she called lack of preparation by Nira.
“At the closure of the exercise, many of my people missed out. The computers were slow to the extend that in a day, one computer would only work on three to four people. The forms were not enough and the cards being issued out had no data on them, so they had to take them back (for configuration),” said Ms Nabakooba.
Bukooli Central MP Solomon Silwany reported that there were also claims that Nira officials asked people to pay them money.

Mr Thomas Tayebwa, the Ruhinda North MP, also said most Ugandans who do not have NINs are being inconvenienced by such mess when they apply for passports from the Immigration Office.
Mr Alex Byarugaba, the Isingiro South MP, tasked Nira to explain why Ugandans still have to travel to their headquarters in Kololo, Kampala, to pick their IDs.
Speaker Kadaga directed the Minister of Internal Affairs to bring a statement on the last exercise and how Nira plans to register everyone who is of age.

“Matters of National ID are very important. Where will you go without a National ID? It is urgent because you need it to have a Simcard, to join university or getting a student loan. The minister is directed to bring a statement on the countrywide exercise and the issue of money,” the Speaker directed.
Internal Affairs minister Jeje Odongo and his junior minister Mario Obiga Kania were not in the House, but the Speaker said the statement should be one of the first issues to be handled at the start of the new session.

Background

Uncollected cards. In February, Nira spokesperson Gilbert Kadilo revealed to this newspaper in an interview that out of the 17.5 million National IDs that had been printed, 14.6 million cards had been issued by January, leaving a pending lot of 2.2m cards that have not yet been picked by their owners.
Enrolment. Information obtained from Nira shows that at least 2.4 million Ugandans aged 16 and above had not enroled for the National IDs by February.
These included 585,265 people whose application for National IDs had been queried because they provided insufficient and inconsistent information, or have gaps in their documentations. Such people were targeted in the three-month exercise.

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