Fort Portal RCC orders arrest of moneylenders withholding national IDs

FORT PORTAL - In a decisive move to safeguard citizens’ rights and uphold government property regulations, the resident city commissioner (RCC) of Fort Portal, Stanley Bayole, has directed police to arrest moneylenders found in possession of borrowers’ national identity cards.

Bayole issued the directive during the official launch of the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA)’s national ID registration and renewal exercise, held in his boardroom at the Fort Portal City offices in Boma on Saturday, May 31, 2025.

He emphasised that withholding someone’s National Identity Card as collateral for loans is not only unethical but also illegal, since these IDs are the property of the government.

“It is unacceptable that individuals are being denied access to critical services simply because their IDs are being held by moneylenders,” Bayole said.

The RCC reiterated that national IDs are essential for accessing a wide range of government services, including participation in the ongoing re-registration and renewal exercise. He warned that any individual or institution found in possession of another person’s national ID would face legal consequences.

“These moneylenders must find lawful means of recovering their money, and holding onto national IDs is not an option and will not be tolerated. People need their IDs to renew or register for new ones under the current national exercise,” Bayole explained.

He called on the public to report such cases to the police and pledged support to ensure affected individuals are assisted in recovering their identification documents.

He also urged local leaders to sensitise communities on the importance of safeguarding their national IDs and avoiding engagements with unscrupulous lenders who violate the law.

Bayole’s directive comes as the country ramps up efforts to streamline citizen identification and improve access to national services through updated ID documentation.

The NIRA registration and renewal exercise is currently underway across the country, targeting individuals whose national IDs have expired, are lost, or are damaged, as well as new applicants.

Junior Akampurira, the Fort Portal NIRA administrator, said the country has 15.8 million expired national IDs, of which only 2,556 renewals have been recorded within the last five days in Fort Portal city, alongside 1,084 new registrations.

“We have invested in a structured group working approach to hit the target numbers, as the city has only 20 enrolment kits, and each kit processes a maximum of 70 national IDs,” Akampurira said.