Minister of State for Internal Affairs, Gen. David Muhoozi, has revealed that Ugandans will not have to pay Shs50,000 to renew their National Identity Cards (IDs) except for those interested in express service.
He made the remarks in a statement to parliament on the process of preparing for mass renewal of national identity cards amid discontent over the delayed process.
This is because the Shs300 billion appropriated for the process is yet to be released by the Ministry of Finance.
However, Parliament asked the Internal Affairs Ministry to recruit workers who will run the exercise as they wait for funds.
Minister Muhoozi said that despite the delays, the ministry has kick-started the procurement process for ICT equipment, and training of ministry staff in the new National Security Information System is ongoing in India.
He outlined the plan for hard-to-reach districts, stating that standby generators and solar panels will be provided to counter power blackouts.
“Approximately 2,750 kits with solar panels will be available, in addition to each district having a 5KV generator for the exercise. Each kit will have two connectivity devices, and connectivity mapping is ongoing for each parish countrywide,” he said.
The mass enrollment to register or renew expiring Identity Cards (IDs) of close to 30 million Ugandans is expected to start on June 1.