Government to issue national IDs to inmates

The Ugandan government is set to issue national identity cards to all inmates who don’t have identification, the Nile Post has learnt.

In 2014,  government registered before issuing IDs to Ugandan citizens but a number of them who were not present during the exercise including inmates and those outside the country missed out on getting IDs.

On Thursday, the State Minister for Internal Affairs, Obiga Kania told the parliamentary Defense and Internal Affairs Committee that government has plans to issue national IDs to inmates throughout the country.

“Arrangements are being made and at appropriate time, modalities will be discussed with the prisons authorities because there are specific regulations of entry and exit and identification of people in prisons. Once those modalities are discussed, those people will be registered,” Obiga said after being asked by legislators about plans to register inmates.

The junior Internal Affairs minister explained that there is no law stopping prisoners from being issued with national IDs adding that they are citizens entitled to rights as other Ugandans.

“They are Ugandans and they are treated as Ugandans except that their location is in a particular place (prison).”

The Commissioner General of Prisons, Dr.Johnson Byabashaija however noted that since some of the inmates already have national IDs, there is need to decide on how the registration and issuance to those without will be done.

When quizzed on Ugandans abroad who don’t have national IDs, Kania said there are many categories of Ugandan citizens who are entitled to the documents but have not yet got them, adding that this will soon be addressed.

“Arrangements are being done and at an appropriate time, they will be registered and issued with national IDs,” the State Minister for Internal Affairs said.