OPINION

By Samson Tinka 

On August 22, 2023, I begun a process of acquiring my children’s passports. One of the requirements is that children applying for passports must have birth certificates from NIRA. That condition alone almost stopped me from starting the passport acquisition process. Previously the NIRA and Passport offices experiences have been not good. Both mainstream & social media have published painful stories on the journeys to get passports or national IDs.

However, this time, it was an experience to remember. I started with NIRA Lumumba Avenue offices to register children birth certificates. The officers I met at those offices were humble and respectful. They were fast, customer conscious, helpful and engaging.  I can only remember two people namely Gertrude and God Kakyigyema. This gent and lady deserve to be in government offices. Besides, at this particular office, from the entrance to the tail end of the process, there is semblance of order. Policemen at the gate manage access control well but also handle clients queues well. There are enough seats for all guests and the payment machine-pay way for those that may need payable services like birth certificate and national Identification card replacement. Generally, my wife and I stay at Lumumba Avenue NIRA offices was a warm one. The leaders of these offices and workers thank you for holding NIRA flag and do not drop it.

After Lumumba Avenue offices, we went to NIRA Kololo and there were three people who handled us that I can remember, Jackie, Enock and Leah. Our stay at NIRA Kololo was not bad either, every one seemed fired up, ready to serve. I did not see any queue in any office, the pavilion is well ventilated, desks apart and NIRA officers attend to people in a systematic way. If this was not by accident, then NIRA leadership and employees deserve a credit. In Uganda, we rarely appreciate good deeds neither do we share them with the media and public, its only bad deeds that run crazy on different media platforms. We should learn to appreciate the good deeds. Whereas its true these officers are employed to do so, others walk an extra mile. That’s the reason I have chosen to pen this article down in recognition of outstanding customer service from these men and women that handled us.

Few days later, I was called and informed that the birth certificates were ready and I went to pick them. The picking exercise took under 5 minutes. A day later, another call came in to confirm if I picked the birth certificates and the experience, Wawoo! This after sale service is not common in Uganda. NIRA, you have raised the bar, keep it high. Do not drop the ball. To you board and management, you have me as a satisfied customer. The only issue that I would like you handle is reduction on paper work. The number of forms, attachments required are too much. We cannot save the environment as long as we are still using papers in big numbers. The era of paper is way passed us. There seems to be duplication of things. These children are registered under my NIN why again ask for a photocopy of my ID and the mothers for just birth certificate. I plea that the leadership of NIRA challenge the status quo for process improvement.

Armed with my birth certificates and passport application forms, I headed to port bell road-Internal Affairs passport office. I was referred to an office, which was manned by a lady called Amanya whom I later got to know her other name as Deborah. She warmly welcomed us, asked us questions walked away from her desk led us to office after the other until we completed the exercise. Honestly, this is was shocking and humbling. The exercise that would hitherto take hours to complete took under one hour. This kind of service brings back confidence to wananchi that government offices are manned by patriotic citizens. 6 days after, I received an SMS informing me that passports were ready for collection. This again was a milestone to me. At Kyamabogo-Former driving permits office is where I picked passports. Again, it was a seamless exercise. In a record 20 minutes, I had signed out all my children’s passports.

On 15 Aug 2023, I arrived at URC offices where driving licenses are processed. I arrived at 4:52pm, I presented my driving permit renewal payment receipt. It was verified and immediately ushered in where to seat. In a short while, my bio metrics were lifted, passport picture captured and in less than 10 minutes after I received my driving permit. These whole five points of service-NIRA Lumumba Avenue, NIRA Kololo, Passport office Port bell road, Passport collection office Kyambogo & Driving permit issuance office at Railways were amazing. The level of service delivery is beyond expectations. How I wish government hospitals, Local government, Central government offices can copy and paste this kind of customer care and efforts.

To you NIRA, Passport and Driving permit teams, I owe you a hug and a toss. I must qualify this article that I didn’t know any person in these offices- The Gamba nogu of sorts. I was a walk in customer who was handled perfectly well. I pat the back of leaders of these institutions, keep it up or even make it better especially by reducing on papers.

Printing and use of physical papers should be ancient. It comes with a lot of costs like, paper itself, printing (printer, tonner, power, tare and ware, cost of depreciation), filing, files storage-warehouse of sorts, physical archiving, service and maintenance costs of these printing machines, fire appliances and access control systems for the warehouse, security etc. All these costs are bred by a mere printing. Banks walked away from papers. In Stanbic, you apply for account opening and get an actual account without filling any physical paper. I think even loan application, travel etc. The Technology should assist leaders and workers to completely go away from physical paper. There is no way you can stop people in Acholi and Lango from burning charcoal in the name of protecting environment and then you encourage and sustain use of paper. This is a mismatch. Paper is got from wood same as charcoal.

Payment vouchers, travel requests, service providers’ payment processing, internal memos etc all should be processed electronically.  In addition, if all MDAs intentionally and deliberately go paperless, the cost of stationery and other related consumables will go down. For example, the cost of printing for parliament of Uganda rose from Shs383.9m 2013/2014 financial year to more than Shs1.5b 2021/2022 FY. Printing is a big cost to the country. It eats a lot on the budget and this can be cut out completely. Leaders of this country at policy and decision level need to interrogate why ministries and agencies use printing paper. What is happening across the world in the space of climate change is scary. Floods in China, Libya, earthquake in Turkey and Morocco etc demands that we collectively do much in protecting environment especially by cutting few tress and planting a millions of them, and one way to ensure that is by running away from use of paper.

Finally, I once again thank Deborah, Kamwiine, God, Gertrude and the fellow teams for being closer to the people you serve. Uganda needs firm hands-on service delivery and these hands are yours and mine. As long as you seat in a public office, seat uncomfortably to service Ugandans, in case you need comfort, you have two options, your home or in your business. Government offices are not a chilling lounge.

A better Uganda is good for us all today, tomorrow and the other day.

The writer is a Ugandan Citizen