DP lauds govt on National ID project

By Umaru Kashaka   
 
The Democratic Party (DP) has hailed government for issuing National Identity cards to Ugandans to aid the free movement of citizens within the East African region.

Addressing journalists at the party headquarters in Kampala, the permanent secretary in President Nobert Mao’s office, Fred Mwesigwa, said the party breathed a sigh of relief on Monday when the exercise finally kicked off ending years of controversy over a sh200b contract awarded to a German firm, Muhlbauer Technology Group.

“We’re happy that finally Ugandans have received IDs after years of controversy over sh200b contract awarded to a German firm. It was not a bad idea given the fact that we’d lagged behind in the issuance of Identity Cards,” Mwesigwa observed.

He stressed that the timing of the exercise was appropriate given that the country is currently guarded at the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) against the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels.

“We think the timing has been good for the issuance of IDs because gov’t is trying to repel off the rebels on the border with the DRC. They will be vital for Ugandans to cross such borders with proper identifications without further ado,”

He appealed to government to be extra careful when dishing out the IDs so that they don’t fall in the hands of foreigners who are in the country illegally.

“Uganda is the country where anyone can come in at any time and leave without being followed. We don’t want our IDs to fall in the hands of these people,” he said.

He added: “However, we’ve observed that the process is not transparent and there are no laid down procedures to execute it. We think it’s a gov’t plot to eliminate opposition supporters before 2016 general elections.”

The party said the Local Councils, churches, mosques and even opposition party offices should have been involved to enlighten the masses about the exercise because many people are likely to be left out.

The issuance of the identity cards to Ugandans aged from 16 years and above started in Kampala, Lira, Buyende and Kasese districts through the directorate of citizenship and immigration control.

According to Betty Nasenje, the Deputy Manager of Uganda’s National ID project, these districts will work as a pilot scheme before the exercise is extended to cover the entire country in November.

She said the cards will also help in building the voters’ register for the 2016 polls and called on Ugandans to embrace birth registration measures.