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Dear UCC ED Mutabazi,
I’m sure you’ve seen the shambles that is your attempt to promote the registration of national IDs.
If we’re going to have a frank discussion, let’s call it what it is! This is NOT a SIM registration exercise.
If it were, then valid forms of identification like Passports, Voters Cards, Financial Cards, Driving Permits and Birth Certificates would be recognised with a view to registering sim cards.
This is a National ID registration exercise. PERIOD.
Sooooo, nowwww that we’re clear what the end is? Let’s discuss the means.
If fishing is an effort to catch fish then your method of an ad hoc illegal ultimatum to the general public is akin to throwing sticks of dynamite in a lake in order to catch fish! We all know that’s hardly the best fishing method. The stampedes and hullabaloo of the last few days can surely attest to that.
I’m sure there have been many suggestions. Here’s mine.
1. Get Ministry of Internal Affairs to give NIRA access to all passport files and the Driving Permit databases.
2. For every file that has a travel document that’s still valid, check the National ID, Voters Cards and Driving Permits databases
A. If there’s a National ID/Driving Permit/Voters Card issued to an individual with the same name, date of birth and place of birth? Link the documents to the Internal affairs file reference number.
B. If there’s no national ID issued to this individual, assign an ID number and link ANY/ALL other available documents to the Internal Affairs file reference. eg I have a Passport, Driving Permit, Voters Card. I should be able to present my known and valid documents to NIRA and pick a valid ID as long as I appear in person with my original document and have my signature witnessed and verified.
I shouldn’t have to line up for donkey’s years filling forms with information already in government’s possession
And neither should I be able to bribe a random LC with ugx 5,000 to give me a letter that says I’m Nancy Mukisa of Lyantonde, go to Amamu house and claim I was born in Lyantonde in 1992 and get a birth certificate issued to that effect and fill a form with falsehoods and get assigned a National ID in an alias – as is the case right now! Sooooo many criminals hold IDs in multiple aliases because of the slipshod approach you’re pursuing!
C. For those that don’t have passports but hold other verified valid forms of ID, those with National IDs should have ALL their existing documents linked to these aforementioned pre-existing documents and those without should be able to present their known original identification document and pick a national ID that’s been printed on the strength of these background documents! This would give the national ID a legitimacy it currently lacks!
D. A further link of all historical Candidate Numbers held in UNEB at PLE, UCE and UACE levels from 1917 to 2017 would help with verification of false academic credentials and falsification of age. Imagine Steven Kavuma swearing an affidavit that would imply that he was assigned his PLE candidate number at 3yrs of age!!! Imagine all the court cases of Parliamentarians with false documents! THAT is a document I’d carry proudly. The current mockery you’re vending is unattractive and irrelevant and superfluous in its current highly flawed stand-alone unverifiable form!
E. A national ID with an expiry date is STUPID.
It makes forgery easier and tracking harder! The strength of the UK NI and the US Social Security Number is that they’re unique to a single individual for the duration of the person’s life! They link everything from a birth certificate to education from elementary to college, they link to tax and criminal record, they link to vehicle ownership, home ownership, credit history, bank accounts, credit rating, they link to marriage, Passports and finally death! That’s whyyyy it’s hard to evade authorities in these countries. It’s not impossible, MIND YOU. But it’s very hard.
F. On that note, extend your data integration to FINANCIAL CARDS and NSSF Account Numbers.
G. This is work YOU the government and PARTICULARLY a framework you our regulator ought to do YOURSELVES. NOT lazily fobbing it off on the general public with juvenile ultimatum that aren’t grounded in either law or policy!
You’re essentially asking the muderers and fraudsters among us to tell you what aliases they’d like to use to perpetrate their crimes! All they have to do in this hullabaloo is patiently apply as many times and in as many locations and with as many aliases as they can to acquire a stash of disposable pseudo identities with which to commit crimes!
Good luck! I hope you listen and I expect you to consult security experts in organisations like interpol and FFB- Financial Fraud Bureau to build a robust framework to underpin these National ID cards.
In summary : A document or card is only as good as the 3rd party verification of its source data! Unless you strap a polygraph on every applicant for these adhoc ID cards, you’re essentially a factory for potential fraud aliases! The way forward is use as much verifiable 3rd party data as possible and people who are already “known” entities get pre-vetted PRE-ALLOCATED ID cards on successful identification. Thereafter, the rest who did not previously hold any other identification document can apply in the blind application process you’re currently modeling.
Going forward, the registry of births should be built up into a database that will track the PLE/UCE/UACE candidature of the OVER 70% Ugandans who are currently under 18! They should be able to acquire their voters card and national ID after their 18th birthday without having this farce re-enacted every year! Ugandans are born daily and many are turning 18 even as I speak nowwww! I’ve already registered my sim card 6 times since I acquired it!! This can’t go on! Get serious!
You’re welcome! It was a pleasure! ? ? ?
Rowena Nahurira©
