A NOTE FROM THE MINISTRY OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS
Dated 14th July 2014
THE ON-GOING REGISTRATION OF PERSONS EXERCISE FOR ISSUANCE OF NATIONAL IDENTITY CARDS
This is to express our appreciation for
the support and encouragement your Institution is giving to our efforts to
register persons for issuance of National Identity Cards. The National Identity
Card we intend to issue will be a highly valued document that will help us to
efficiently resolve many problems (economic, security, service delivery etc.)
It will be the key to all services, by the public (e.g.bank) and by government
(e.g. issuance of passports). We are therefore grateful that your Institution
has thrown its whole weight behind this exercise. We request that you and your
Institution continue supporting us, guiding us and encouraging us up to the
end.
Regarding the request by our missions
in Abu Dhabi and our fellow citizens in Rwanda to avail registration kits at
our missions there, I am extremely sorry to say that this is not possible at
the moment.
One of the most critical objectives of
the exercise is to establish the true identities of people so as to compile a
National Citizenship Register. We can only do this if people’s citizenships are
verified. In our view, this is best done at one’s place of origin. This is why
we have set up Citizenship Verification Committee at parish level and at sub
county level. We sincerely believe that at that level, the committee members
have a fair knowledge of one’s true identity and therefore citizenship.
We are aware of the fact that many of our people out there are extremely busy. We therefore took this fact into consideration during the project planning process.
We planned to take the registration
centres as near the people as possible. This is why we are at the parish. We
intend to remain there for a period of four months (April-August). Our prayer
is that our people out there, busy as they are, will find time to go down to
their parishes and register.
In the most unlikely event that
pressure of their work will not allow them to find a moment to go to their
places of origin to register within the four months, I am certain that they
will find a moment to go to their sub-counties during the period August 2014 to
February 2015. (We intend to move from the parish to the sub-county after
August 2014. We will stay at the sub-county till February 2015).
This plan was discussed and approved at
all levels up to Cabinet. In view of the time, logistical, financial and other
constraints that we have, this was found to be the most appropriate way to go.
As stated above, the plan was approved
at all levels. It is precisely due to the reasons stated above that both H.E.
The President and the Rt. Hon. Prime Minister had to recently go to their
respective places of origin to register. We highly appreciated their actions.
All of us should emulate them. Let all of us be encouraged to find time, in the
designated period (April- August 2014 at the parish, August 2014-February 2015
at the sub-county) to go and register.
Let me take this opportunity to explain
one other matter that some people may want clarified. It is true that in 2010
some people were registered and a few identity cards issued. On that occasion,
we captured a limited number of
individual persons’ parameters, not sufficient to establish a National
Identification Register and certainly not enough to produce a card that will
satisfy International Standards (The International Civil Aviation Organisation,
for example).
In view of this, we are asking all people, including those who registered in 2010, to register. We are aware that this may inconvenience those who registered in 2010. We sincerely apologise. Our explanation was understood and it is the reason why both H.E. The President and the Rt Hon Prime Minister recently had to register again(I believe that you are aware both the President and Prime Minister were registered in 2010 and issued with Identity Cards. They had to register again for reasons stated above).
In conclusion, let me once again express our appreciation for the support and encouragement you and your Institution are giving us. We pray that you continue doing so.
I request that you explain these matters to all concerned and encourage them to find time during the designated period, to go and register. Benefits to the exercise to the individual are tremendous (free movement of persons within the East African Community and ease of access to services, both by Government and the Public).
Dr. S P Kagoda
PERMANENT SECRETARY
MINISTRY OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS-KAMPALA
cc.The National project Co-ordinator
Minister of Internal Affairs
cc.The Head of Public Service/Secretary to Cabinet
cc.The NSIS Project Manager
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