By Spy Uganda
Kampala: The Executive Director of the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA), Rosemary Kisembo, has revealed that 18 million Ugandans still lack National Identity Cards (IDs). She warned that this situation might persist if the Authority’s low staffing levels are not addressed.
On July 1, 2024, Kisembo met Parliament’s Committee of Commissions, Statutory Authorities, and State Enterprises (COSASE) and highlighted the impact of low staffing levels at NIRA which is mandated to register births and deaths in the country. According to Kisembo the anomaly has overwhelmed the available staff, with each responsible for serving 80,000 unregistered Ugandans.
This situation forces some Ugandans to travel 80-100 kilometres to access services, especially in the 24 districts and 10 cities where NIRA has no physical presence. “Based on the current census figures of 45.9 million people, we haven’t registered about 18.1 million individuals. Most of those unregistered are children under 17 years old. Since NIRA’s establishment in 2015, it has registered 27.4 million people with NINs and issued 17.3 million cards, although it has printed 20 million cards,” Kisembo explained.
She added, “NIRA’s staffing levels have never exceeded 50%, meaning that the ratio of unregistered Ugandans to NIRA staff is 1:80,000. We are present in 112 districts, leaving 24 districts and 10 cities without our presence.”
The December 2023 Auditor General’s report highlighted the severe staffing shortages at NIRA, noting that out of 856 approved positions, only 410 were filled, leaving 446 vacancies.
COSASE Chairperson, also the Busiro East MP Medard Sseggona inquired if the unserved districts and cities were close enough for NIRA staff to undertake rotational exercises to bring services closer to the people.
Kisembo responded that rotating staff isn’t feasible due to the high demand in existing offices. For example, Kampala offices serve 600-1,000 people daily, while peri-urban areas serve 200-300 people, and rural areas serve 60-150 people, making it impractical for one person to serve two districts.
“There are many districts where we aren’t present, like Kalaki and Kapelebyong, and people have to travel 80-100 kilometres to access services. The initial budget for the first year, including equipment and chairs, is approximately Shs6.7 billion, and subsequently, that budget would decrease due to recurrent expenditures,” Kisembo explained.
As of October 2023, the Auditor General’s report revealed that NIRA had offices in 111 out of 146 districts, leaving 35 districts without NIRA offices. NIRA also has offices at its headquarters in Kololo, five divisions of Kampala, four offices in Wakiso, and 109 in other districts.
The approved staff structure, district registration offices should have one registration officer, two assistant registration officers, and one district IT officer. However, many registration offices are understaffed, with most having only two officers instead of the recommended four.
“With no offices in 35 districts and understaffing in most district offices, there are challenges in monitoring and supervising temporary staff, leading to inefficiencies in service delivery,” the Auditor General noted.
The Auditor General also pointed out that NIRA’s project implementation strategy for mass enrolment and renewal of national IDs covers 10,717 parishes, 2,190 sub-counties, and 146 districts. This exercise includes registering eligible persons for the first time, renewing expired national IDs, and issuing new one to those who have never received them.
Kisembo updated Parliament on the progress, stating, “We are three months behind projections for the start of mass enrolment. We were supposed to begin the enrolment process on June 1, 2024. We now hope to start by the end of July or the beginning of August, as several delays, including funding issues, have been resolved, and we are in the final stages of beginning the process.”
