At least 16.8 million Ugandans aged 16 and above registered with the National Identification and Registration Authority (Nira) but have not accessed their National Identity Cards, the government has revealed.
Mr Obiga Kania, the minister of State for Internal Affairs, blamed the delays on last minute attempts by nationals to acquire identity cards.
The minister who presented a statement to Parliament on Tuesday said "the demand for the national ID is undoubtedly on the rise" and requested for indulgence of the members.
The MPs had previously demanded a statement on the delays at Nira. The lawmakers led by Speaker Rebecca Kadaga expressed concerns over unending delays in the processing of national IDs for eligible Ugandans.
In the statement, the minister told the House that out of 29,343,615 Ugandans who registered for National IDs, NIRA managed to issue only 15,227, 171 cards as of March 1, leaving a 14 million without IDS. The minister said an additional 2,713,413 applications have not been processed.
Lawmakers were discussing the delays in the processing of fresh National IDs and renewing lost cards.
On average, the House heard that it takes between six to 12 weeks to get a national ID but some people had spent up to three years without one.
The MPs expressed concerns that some Ugandans, including candidates, might be blocked at the various polling stations in the forthcoming 2021 General Election due to lack of national IDs.
"This week, I received very disturbing complaints from citizens, I don't know why we are treating our citizens like this; it is dirty, it is too ugly and this is a very serious problem," Speaker Kadaga said.
She narrated a case involving Ms Hadijah Mwanje, who lost her handbag together with the ID and the telephone "but the journey to replace her sim-card has been a nightmare."
She added: "She [Ms Mwanje] was asked to pay Shs50,000 to replace the ID, then she had to pay for a confirmation letter of Shs1,000 in a bank where she had to incur a bank charge of Shs3,000. When she got the confirmation letter it had to be activated and this has taken her three months."
Ms Kadaga said she was disheartened to learn that the agencies no longer use driving permits and passports as legal documents.
On Monday The Unwanted Witness, a Ugandan based Civil Society Organisation championing human rights in the digital era, petitioned the Speaker, challenging the use of national identity cards as primary identification documents.
The group, which roots for inclusive rights in the country, accused the government of using the national IDs to deny basic services to Ugandans without the cards.
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"We want Parliament to pass a resolution that the national Id is not primary document used to access public services in the country," said Ms Dorothy Mukasa, the executive director for Unwanted Witness.
In a follow-up interview, Ms Mukasa told Daily Monitor: "As an organisation, we are not against the national ID but only when it comes to its use; there are alternative documents that are legally recognised by the government such as a driving permit, passport and village letters, these are important documents."
She explained that many Ugandans have fallen victim and been denied access to health services, education and banking services, among others.
Mass registration of persons began in 2014 under the National Security Information System (NSIS) and was later institutionalised by the Registration of Persons Act (2015) that created Nira.
Mr Obiga explained : "With the national ID gaining currency as a key document to accessing critical services, the demand for services has grown exponentially; this, coupled with a tendency among the public to seek services when the need is urgent, has led to a surge in the number of clients at the various Nira service centres where the teams are often overwhelmed."
Statistics
29,343,615. Registration for National ID
18,326,547. Cards Printed
15,227, 171. Cards Issued
23,843. Change of Particulars
156,067. Replacement of Lost Cards
205,429. Rectifications
2,713,413. Backlog of unprocessed IDs
