The use of the National Identity Card (ID) as the officially recognized identifier for Ugandans has been greatly emphasized by the Government of Uganda in order to improve access to service delivery.
However in Kisoro district, the number of National IDs still uncollected stands at more than 3000, according to the newly appointed Kisoro district NIRA Registration officer (DRO) Rutagyegwa Patroisas.
While to Vomuhabura, Rutagyegwa also revealed that 70% of Ugandans living and working in Rubuguri town council and Kirundo Sub County have never received their National IDs since 2014.
Rutagyegwa admits that his office is greatly understaffed which has resulted in several delays while serving interested Ugandans.
He however notes that locals in the area have little or no interest in collecting their National IDs which is worrying because all major service delivery points in the country require one to present a nationally issued Identity Card.
“We kindly implore our citizens in Kisoro to put in more effort to collect their national IDs if they wish to enjoy a wider range of services, Rutagyegwa noted.
Rutagyegwa says the other challenge the NIRA office in Kisoro has been experiencing is people’s failure to understand the easy steps to follow when getting a National ID.
He notes that those who have got the process wrong in the past will have to repeat the process because the IDs are null and void.
“We have seen scenarios where different people use their thumb print for another individual who claims to be too illiterate to complete the process on their own. Such an ID is invalid and we have so many of that kind, Rutagyegwa lamented.
He notes that the only solution to such a situation is to delete and start the entire process afresh.
According to NIRA data collected in 2020, Up to 25 million people were registered for National ID cards while over 15 million Ugandans have received their National IDs.
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