The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
The exercise which is running until May 10, 2019, has been ongoing for the past two months. NIRA staffs were moving around different landing sites within Kalangala District registering residents who have no Identification Cards.
However, the residents at Kaazi Bugaba landing site, led by the area chairperson Isaac Kirumira say that the officers conducting the exercise asked each of them to pay 30,000 Shillings before they could be registered. They add that some of those that had no money were left out.
Tadeo Mwesige, the Sub County representative at the District council wondered how other people without money to transport them to the Sub County headquarters will acquire national identification cards, after failing to secure registration at the village level.
Kalangala District Chairperson Willy Lugoloobi says such behaviour should be condemned.
The process of ID registration only requires payment when one loses his or her ID. However, it is free to register for a national ID.
Franklin Naturinda, the officer in charge of the program in Bufumira Sub County explains that the residents asked to mobilize resources for the registering teams to get to the landing site since most of the people couldn’t afford to get to the Sub County headquarters for registration.
He says that 26 people paid 30,000 Shillings each under the arrangement. But NIRA Public Relations Officer Gilbert Kadilo says that the public should provide evidence of payments made to NIRA officials to facilitate investigations into the matter.
“We all know 50,000 Shillings is the only amount requested for to replace a national ID and it is paid in the bank. So, no person should engage in extortion and the public is requested to desist from making such payments.” Kadilo told URN in a phone interview.
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