By Ben Musanje
The National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) has denied allegations of staff mismanagement, inefficiencies in payment, and mishandling of registration kits during the ongoing national identity registration project. Claire Ollama, the NIRA Registrar, addressed these concerns during a press conference at police headquarters in Naguru, Kampala, providing a detailed breakdown of the project’s progress, staffing issues, and payment discrepancies.
Ollama acknowledged that there has been significant public feedback regarding the project, particularly on social media platforms and through various citizen reports. She confirmed that the concerns raised, especially about how the project was managed, were valid, but she clarified that these issues were being actively addressed.
Staffing and Deployment
One of the main points of contention was the staffing numbers and the reasons for the reduction in the number of project staff. The initial plan had been to deploy 13,787 project staff across the country to assist with the national identity registration. However, by the end of the project, only 9,131 staff remained, representing 86% of the initial workforce.
Ollama explained that various factors contributed to the reduction in the number of staff, including some leaving for personal reasons, pursuing other job opportunities, or resigning due to the demanding nature of the project. Additionally, some staff members were dismissed due to disciplinary issues. She further clarified that interviews for staff recruitment had been conducted fairly, and the final number of deployed staff was sufficient to handle the workload.
“Of the 13,787 people we initially recruited, only 9,131 remained after the project commenced. Some staff members left for better opportunities, while others found the work challenging. A few were also let go for disciplinary reasons,” Ollama stated.
Payment Discrepancies and Allowances
Ollama addressed allegations of inconsistencies in the payments made to project staff. She confirmed that the project staff were not salaried employees but were instead provided with daily allowances to cover transport and lunch expenses. The amount allocated for these allowances was 40,000 shillings per day.
She explained that due to varying work schedules and the fact that some staff members were absent for personal reasons (such as illness or pregnancy), the wage bill fluctuated from month to month. As a result, some regions, such as Kabarole, saw higher allowances than others based on the number of days worked. For example, in Wakiso alone, 18 staff members had to take time off due to pregnancy, which affected their payment.
“Not every staff member worked the same number of days. There were many factors such as pregnancy, illness, or voluntary absences, which caused discrepancies in the monthly payments. This is why some staff in certain regions may have earned more than others,” Ollama explained.
She also highlighted that the total wage bill for the project ranged between six and eight billion shillings monthly, but the fluctuations were due to the varying attendance of project staff. Despite these fluctuations, Ollama emphasized that all staff were compensated as per their contracts, which clearly stated that the payments were allowances, not salaries.
Contractual Issues and Permanent Employment
The issue of whether project staff should be made permanent employees of NIRA also came up during the briefing. Ollama explained that the authority had different types of contracts for staff, with some being temporary and specific to the project. She clarified that NIRA could not hire all project staff permanently, as the contracts were designed to last for the duration of the project.
“There seems to be a misconception that because NIRA has more work to do, project staff should automatically become permanent employees. That is not how recruitment works in Uganda. We have specific guidelines, and staffing is based on budget allocations and available positions,” Ollama clarified.
Outstanding Payments
Ollama also addressed concerns about outstanding payments, particularly the 1.5 billion shillings still owed to some project staff. She explained that the delay was largely due to issues such as changes in bank account details, deactivated accounts, and auto-deductions by banks, which sometimes caused payments to fail. Additionally, there were cases where staff who had been paid raised complaints because their accounts showed no deposit, even though the funds had been transferred.
“We encountered some payment issues, such as people changing their bank accounts or having loans that auto-deducted their payments. However, we are working to resolve these issues and will ensure that all outstanding payments are processed before the end of the financial year,” Ollama assured.
She also explained that only 11% of the total project staff had payment queries, which were mainly limited to specific months. She emphasized that the remaining balance of 1.5 billion shillings was being processed and would be cleared before the financial year ends.
Registration Kits
Another point of concern was the procurement and utilization of registration kits. Ollama strongly refuted claims that NIRA had failed to procure or adequately use the necessary equipment for the registration process. She confirmed that the authority had procured 5,665 kits, all of which were fully utilized in the project.
“These kits were fully used in the registration process, and I can assure the public that there were no issues with procurement. We have detailed records of kit utilization, and I encourage anyone with questions to reach out to us for clarification,” she said.
Card Issuance and Public Feedback
One of the most pressing concerns raised by the public was the perceived inefficiency in the card issuance process. Ollama addressed these complaints by providing a breakdown of the challenges faced by NIRA. She noted that the authority currently has only 418 permanent staff members, with 297 working in operations (the department responsible for issuing cards). With these limited personnel, NIRA is issuing an average of 70,000 cards daily across 146 offices.
“This is a massive undertaking. On average, each staff member handles 235 citizens per day. Given the scale of the project and the resources available, we are doing the best we can. I encourage the public to understand the challenges we face,” Ollama said.
Resource Constraints and Future Plans
Ollama concluded by addressing the broader issue of resource constraints, emphasizing that NIRA is doing everything possible to serve the public efficiently. She acknowledged that there are challenges but called on the government to increase funding for the project so that the authority can hire more staff and expand operations at the parish level.
“We are doing everything within our means to make this process as smooth as possible, but the reality is that we need more resources to improve the service. Our goal is to ensure that every citizen receives their national ID in a timely manner,” Ollama concluded.
Despite the challenges, Ollama reaffirmed NIRA’s commitment to the project and urged the public to remain patient as the process continues. She also encouraged citizens to verify information directly with the authority rather than relying on misinformation. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
