Aronda involves CAOs in ID registration

May 15, 2014

Internal affairs minister, Gen. Aronda Nyakai rima, has asked chief administrative officers (CAOs) in the districts countrywide to support the ongoing national ID registration exercise.

By Raymond Baguma                      
            
Internal affairs minister, Gen. Aronda Nyakai rima, has asked chief administrative officers (CAOs) in the districts countrywide to use the local government structures and ensure the success of the ongoing national ID registration exercise.


This was during a one-day meeting organised to review the progress and challenges in implementing the ongoing national identity card registration exercise.

The meeting held at Imperial Royale Hotel in Kampala was attended by chief administrative officers (CAOs) from districts across the country as well as town clerks for municipalities and town councils.

Aronda said that since the enrollment began one month ago, there is a great sense of urgency and expectation by the population and it has to be met.

“When there is skepticism it’s largely because of the past. We cannot fix the past and can only fix the future,” said Aronda.
The minister said that there is impatience amongst the other East African Community (EAC) member states over Uganda’s slow pace in implementing the national ID registration project, yet other countries such as Kenya and Rwanda already have national IDs.

“We want to make sure that Ugandan does not lag behind because of lack of travel documents. We are going to get IDs for citizens and there is nothing political,” he added.

According to the EAC protocol on free movement of goods, services and people, identity cards will be used as travel documents for citizens of EAC member states.

Minister Aronda’s statement follows reports that some chief administrative officers (CAOs) have been campaigning against the ID registration project while others are absent and don’t attend planning meetings.

The ministry of local government permanent secretary Patrick Mutabwire said official who was the deputy CAO of Kanungu district had been interdicted for opposing a government programme he was supposed to supervise.

Speaking on behalf of the CAOs, Dunstan Balaba the chief administrative officer of Adjumani district said that some districts have villages that are missing on the ID register, citing Kaberamaido and Bulambuli districts.

Also, there have been complexities in handling of registration and photographing of disabled people such as those who are visually impaired, as well as parish chiefs who abscond from duty, according to Balaba.

The minister of local government Adolf Mwesige said the national ID registration project will this year be used as a key indicator during the performance appraisal for chief administrative officers.

Gen. Aronda proposed that government should issue an edict compelling all public servants to enroll for IDs as a precondition to get their salaries. He said countries like Bangladesh, Malaysia, India, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ghana and Nigeria have managed to issue citizen identity cards relying on voluntarism and sacrifice.

“These countries have undertaken innovative ways to register their citizens. For example Rwanda used students during their school holidays. In Uganda, we have gone for a multi-sectoral approach involving government ministries, departments, agencies, and local governments for ID registration,” said Gen. Aronda.

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