Senior Reporter
Tens of thousands of residents living in Bukimbiri County, located in Kisoro District, are facing the unsettling prospect of being labeled as non-Ugandans due to the lack of National Identity Cards. This issue has arisen because the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) has reported that they don’t possess these essential documents.
This predicament has resulted in numerous situations where these residents couldn’t participate in government programs that require the presentation of national identity cards, including the Parish Development Model.
According to information from NIRA, a critical error occurred during the initial nationwide mass registration of Ugandans for National IDs back in 2014. During the registration process, an undisclosed NIRA officer made mistakes, causing residents to miss out on obtaining their national identity cards.
Rutangyerwa Patrobas, the Kisoro District NIRA Returning Officer (DRO), has pointed out that the impact of this issue is especially significant in the town councils of Rubuguri, Nkuringo, and the sub-counties of Kirundo and Nyabwishenya, all located in Bukimbiri County. Rutangyerwa explained that many citizens were mistakenly categorized as presumptive rather than indigenous, leading to their information being lost in the NIRA systems.
Nonetheless, Rutangyerwa has assured that NIRA, in collaboration with its legal team, is actively working to rectify these errors during the upcoming registration exercise. They are committed to ensuring that affected individuals receive the necessary corrections and obtain their rightful National Identity Cards.
