The National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) has started taking measures to root out crooked elements among its staff and those purporting to be working with Authority in order to scam unsuspecting people.
The development, which has seen nira release a list of services people are supposed to pay for and those that are free, comes after top officials were recently summoned by the State House Anti-Corruption Unit, which is headed by Lt. Col. Edith Nakalema.
Led by the Authority’s director for registration Brig. Steven Kwiringira, the team was tasked to explain reports that people had to bribe employees in order to get national IDs, according to NilePost.
The quizzing by Nakalema’s unit came shortly after a nira official was arrested by police for soliciting a bribe of Shs20,000 in order to process an ID.
Nira services and costs
According to nira, there are services that will cost you money while others are free.
The free services are first-time registration for a national ID, registration forms of all kind (Birth/Death certificate, applying for ID etc.), recommendation letters from LCI and an endorsement by the District Internal Security Officer (DISO).
The other free services offered by nira are ID issuance for a first-time applicant, rectification of error on the ID before issuance, and notifications and registration of Births and Deaths by health facilities and sub-counties.
The ones that will cost you money are the replacement of lost, defaced or damaged ID, change of information on the ID and correction of errors after the card has been taken.
Each of the above costs Shs50,000, according to a statement issued by nira management.
The two others are request for information letters, which costs Shs1,000 and applications for Birth and Death certificates, which cost Shs5,000 and US$40 for non-Ugandans.
Must read: NIRA in new nationwide ID registration & error rectification exercise
According to nira, “all fees in respect to NIRA services are paid to the Uganda Revenue Authority through designated commercial banks.”
Secondly, no payments are to be made to any nira staff or persons purporting to be nira.
Lastly, all fees payable for nira services attract bank charges.
Crackdown
In order to prevent the crimes committed by what the Authority termed as “unscrupulous” people, all their (nira) staff will be identified by tags when on official duty.
They have also released contact information where you can report cases of bribery. Phone numbers: 0702191919, 0772580673, 0772923642 and 0312119605.
You can also use [email protected] or nira’s Twitter handle, NIRA_Ug or their Facebook (Authority’s name spelled out).
District security chiefs have also been informed, reads the statement issued by Management.
Related:
Tumwebaze: Government won’t police social media
Licensing of insurance brokers, agents goes digital
