The Kisoro District NIRA Registration officer (DRO) Rutagyendwa Patrobus has admitted that due to human error, a large section of the population from Bukimbiri County, Kisoro District do not have valid National Identification Cards.
According to Rutagyendwa, the affected persons were placed in a category referred to as Presumed Male (PM) or Presumed Female (PF).
Ugandan ID cards possess the initials; CM for Citizen Male or CF for Citizen Female along with the National Identification Number (NIN) which is used to tie together all records about an individual.
This includes the demographic data, fingerprints, head-to-shoulder facial picture, other biometric data and digital signature.
Rutagyendwa says when an individual possesses an ID with the initials PF or PM, this implies that you are mostly are not a citizen of Uganda and are therefore presumed to be of another nationality.
The consequences of not having a valid National ID means an individual is likely not to access essential Government services in Banking, Health care, Movement as well as Education.
The most affected areas in Kisoro include the town councils of Rubuguri, Nkuringo as well as Kirundo and Nyabwishenya Sub Counties.
Kisoro District borders Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Rwanda.
Rutagyendwa says the error was committed by one of their Staff from NIRA back in 2014-2015 when the first National IDs were printed and issued to Ugandans.
More than 15 million identity cards that were printed and issued out during that time.
According to Regulation 19(1) of the Registration of Persons Regulations SI 67 /2015, all Ugandans who successfully received National IDs during that period of time will need to seek new ones between August 2024 and June 2025.
“My superiors in Kampala are much aware of the problems we have in Kisoro, and they have assured me that all those people who were wrongly affected by the error will have their National IDs rectified before 2024”, Rutagyendwa explained.
CUE IN…NIRA ON BUKIMBIRI…
NIRA is a government agency under the Ministry of Internal Affairs charged with the responsibility of registering and issuing identity cards to Ugandans.
He further pointed out another challenge involving School going Children who were registered for National Identification Numbers (NINs) from as far back as 2003 who are now eligible to have National IDs.
Rutagyendwa says, due to laxity as well as ignorance from some parents, their children registered with the help of their teachers who filled in their own information, which is unacceptable.
Others, who suffered a loss of a parent while still at school used background information of one of their guardians or sponsors which is still a big mistake.
CUE IN…PATROBAS ON ERRORS
He advised all people to visit the new NIRA Offices along Bunagana road to get assistance in correcting some of the errors at no cost.
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