The hassle of registering a birth in Uganda

Why Civil Society want Govt to make birth registration a less cumbersome process for parents

Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | In 2014, Laila Ndagire became a first-time mother. She delivered twins at Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala. But she knew little about the fact that her babies had to get formal government documents that officially recognize them as having been born in Uganda. Today, Ndagire, a journalist by profession, is also a mother of four. She recently recounted her ordeal to The Independent about the long and winding process of acquiring birth certificates for her twins.

“Before I had my twins in 2014, I used to go for antenatal care at Mulago National Referral Hospital, and that is where I gave birth from. However, as a first-time mother, I was not aware of the processing of birth certificates then. It took me three years to realise that I have to process these documents as early as possible.

The reason I didn’t have that at the back of my mind is because the birth certificate thing was not a thing of our generation; our parents never processed them. Perhaps it was not even that important by then, like we now have the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA).

I, for instance, got my own birth certificate when I was going to sit for either primary seven or senior four and it was a requirement by the school. So, it wasn’t something I had to think about quickly.

It’s after three years when my children were going to start kindergarten that I realized I had to get birth certificates for them. It was not something simple, because now I had to look for the discharge form from the hospital.

Lucky enough I keep records.

So, I got the discharge form and I went back to Mulago Hospital. I then went to the records department. It was a long process because it had taken three years for me to initiate the process. I filled in a form and then I was told to wait for three weeks for the file to be retrieved.

I followed-up to ensure that my file is retrieved so they process the birth notification which is different from the discharge form. After getting the notification, I had to proceed to the NIRA office in Ntinda to embark on processing the birth certificate. I think it took me two weeks to get the birth certificate of the twins.

That was a lesson for me.

During my second pregnancy and delivery, it (getting the birth certificate) was okay. Since I use public hospitals, I went through the same process. However, this time, after birth, the experience was a bit different. You know, after giving birth, you are supposed to go back to the hospital with the baby after six weeks for check-up.

When I went back for review after the six weeks, I made it a point to go and get the birth notification because I didn’t want to go through the other process and, the earlier you do it the better, because now the records are a little more recent. I got the notification and, of course, after my maternity leave, it was easy for me to go to NIRA to get a birth certificate. That is how I have been doing it since.”

Although Ndagire’s experience is anecdotal, her story represents thousands of cases of parents around Uganda who struggle to get birth certificates for their children. It is even worse for parents who live in the countryside where government services are often quite far from their homes.

What entails birth registration?

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) describes birth registration as the official recording of a child’s birth by the government, establishing the child’s existence under law and providing the foundation for safeguarding many of the child’s civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights.

In Uganda, newborns can be registered immediately at birth in health facilities, while children born at home can be registered at their respective sub-counties. The registration of births is now currently done by the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) under the Registration of Persons Act 2015 as amended in 2024.

The law provides for compulsory registration of births among other vital statistics. Section 54 of the Registration of Persons Act compels Ugandans to register their children. “This means a parent or guardian or custodian has a responsibility of ensuring that the child is indeed registered,” says Moses Talibita, the Legal Compliance Officer at the Uganda National Health User/Consumers Organization, a Kampala-based non-profit.

Talibita says parents need to distinguish between a birth notification document from a birth certificate. He notes that, whereas, a birth notification is a formal record which shows that a birth has occurred, a birth certificate is “the first proof of legal identity of one’s child and proof of their existence by law.”

The notification document shows a child’s surname, given name, other name, date of birth, sex and place of birth. It also shows the mother and father’s name, their national identification numbers, where applicable and nationality as well as the notifier’s information.

But, Talibita says, a notification in itself is not enough; it could just be gossip or information just being given but it needs to be verified that this particular child has a father, has a mother, and they too are registered.

Talibita told the media in Kampala on Oct.31 that the reason civil society is mobilizing citizens to complete the registration of the births of their children is because “the benefits are immense.” “The benefits, of course, are that once a child has a complete birth certificate, then they are recognised, they are entitled to favourable conditions to education. And if they are not, of course, the parents then have to go through the cost of firefighting with the registration process,” he said.

Need for registration

Robert Offiti, a Regional Manager at HEPS-Uganda, a non-profit that is currently championing the scaling up of birth registration under the Voices progamme says it is important for parents to take birth registration seriously.

“Without birth registration, children lack access to critical services, from healthcare to education, travel and others,” he said. “They are invisible in national planning; Uganda’s economy misses out on the potential of millions of citizens who, without legal identity, cannot fully contribute to or benefit from the country’s development.”

Offiti says birth registration is not merely an administrative task. “It is a business service to Ugandans.” He says countries with birth registration rates enjoy better social services, improved healthcare outcomes and more effective public health policies.

“These registered citizens drive the economy and contribute to national growth, with each child holding the promise of a bright future. Birth registration is the entry point. When we talk about building a strong CRVS system, birth registration is the entry point.”

Offiti says every child deserves the chance to start life with legal recognition, a tool that will accompany them from birth through school to adulthood. He says birth certificates also enable access to essential services like school enrolment, healthcare and social protection programmes.

“When children are registered at birth, we empower families, communities and Uganda as a whole,” he says, “Let us ensure that no Ugandan child is left unregistered either at birth or during immunisation visits. Our message today is register now, not later. By registering birth promptly, we make it easier, cheaper and faster.”

Birth registration remains low across Africa

Yet, according to a snapshot of civil registration and vital statistics system done by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) in 2019, as of 2016, the percentage of Ugandan children under five years whose births were reported as registered were just 32.2%.

In fact, little has changed over the last eight years. Currently, seven out of 10 children under five years are without legal recognition according to a 2023/24 NIRA report. According to UNICEF, most children in Uganda are still born at home or in communities and many births go unrecorded. Yet, there are even more hurdles to jump before parents can complete the registration of the birth of their babies.

Ndagire told The Independent that there are various reasons as to why Ugandan parents struggle to get birth certificates for their children. Birth certificates aren’t free and the average Ugandan parent can’t afford the Shs 5000 that must be first paid before the parents get one, she says. The cost of travelling to the NIRA offices, which are often kilometres away, also presents a significant challenge, she adds.

Ndagire says, for parents who live in and around Kampala, accessing the birth certificate could be a little less cumbersome since the NIRA offices are a little more accessible. But, the situation is not as easy for parents living upcountry, she adds. “Some of them are not even aware about the birth certificate. There is also the issue of mothers who do not deliver in health facilities yet the children born outside the hospital system need these birth certificates too.”

But Ndagire also thinks there is not enough sensitisation in regards to having such important documents. She says parents are also not sensitized enough about the benefits of getting these documents for children at an early age.

She says the Local Councils should be very much involved in the process birth registration. “I believe the LC is accessible to everyone in their community and it should be the responsibility for the LC to take the birth notifications to the sub-county,” she said.

“The government should also be working to get services closer to the people. They should, for instance, not keep around their offices at the district, but rather, get some days where they set up camps at the village square or church or mosque to process these birth certificates.”

More sensitization required

She says sensitisation needs to be done; mothers need to be told even when you don’t give birth in a hospital, the birth notification can be gotten at the LC3 office or sub-county. Ndagire says sensitisation should actually start from the Local Council-1 (village/cell) where Ugandans usually have their community meetings. This should be the starting point of sensitization where parents are informed about these things. “This will ensure that the gap is bridged but also end the issue of extortion,” she says.

Ndagire also wants fathers to be responsible in the matter of birth registration. “The child does not belong to a woman only; so, fathers should take responsibility in this case too.” “You have given birth. Ensure that you also process a birth certificate for your child. Don’t leave this to the woman only; it is a responsibility for both parties.”

Talibita agrees. He says civil society is encouraging male involvement in this process as an incentive of ensuring that there are no errors on the birth certificates. “If there are any errors, it is also an unnecessary cost because you will then have to go and sign a statutory declaration that the information you have given is correct to the best of your knowledge.”

“And that means you need to have a lawyer to help you go through that process in the event you have such errors.” Talibita says when a child is registered and gets issued with a birth certificate, then they enjoy their right to a name; to identity and to parentage. And all the other benefits that accrue.”