Single mothers petition gov't over denial of National IDs

KAMPALA- The Chairperson of the Equal Opportunities Commission Sylvia Muwebwa Ntambi has said there is an increased number of single mothers being denied National Identity Cards.

"There are women, who,  because of different reasons do not know the fathers of their children. Some of them might have had an encounter with someone and never saw him again. So, they will come and tell you that I have been denied an identity card because I do not know the father of my child. This is not fair," she said.

To be able to curtail such challenges, Muwebwa has promised to write to the Ministry of Gender and Social Development over the issue.

"I am going to write to Florence Nakiwala Kiyingi (state minister children affairs) about these issues because her docket works on children and the youth. They will have to see whether NIRA can do something," Muwebwa said.

She added: "We have also had an encounter with older persons. They come complaining that they cannot get their money because the National Identity Cards has a problem. These are very old people who sometimes cannot even see, walk and at times talk. We need to get a solution for these people". 

Muwebwa was responding to issues raised to her by officials of Nakawa Division Kampala where her Commission is running a United Nations Women (UN Women) funded program of building capacities for all ministries departments and agencies on gender, equity planning, and budgeting. 

According to Petua Babirye Isabirye, the principal education officer at the Equal Opportunities Commission, the Commission got funding from European Union to build the capacity of all ministries departments and agencies, local governments and municipal councils on Gender and Equity Planning and Budgeting.

"We started with Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs), we have also been building capacities of local governments to learn how to discern issues of gender and equity in their budgets and now, we are onto the municipal councils," she said.