THE CONTINUOS GRAFT AND HIDDEN AGENDAS WITHIN THE UGANDA NATIONAL ID PROJECT. General Aronda Nyakairima’s illegal appointment for the Internal Affairs ministry was to spear head the hidden agenda of eliminating the potential competitors to ruling government through the National ID project who includeGeneral .David Sejusa, Dr.Vicent Magombe, Prof.Omii Omara Otunu, Col.Samson Mande, Dr.Aggrey Kiyingi, Mr.Henry Gombya, Hon.Anthony Kipoyi, Maj.Gen. Joseph Kony, Hon.Bakoro Zoe, Lawrence Kiwanuka, Richard Semitego, Milton Alimadi and Eric kashambuzi, among others meaning they seize to be Ugandans as the new system of registering requires one’s physical presences and the above are at longer heads with the ruling party and in exile. We identify that the current system targets to deny them nationality which automatically disqualifies them from talking about the impunities of this regime. We insist that this exercise “the national ID project” be conducted in good spirit because our concern is backed with evidence of how the ID project started with the 1st funds mounting to over 9bn was eaten. The next Programme which had to begin early this year in February the month has gone and no communication is done.However, according to The Internal Affairs Ministry’s publicist, Pamela Ankunda,as quoted late 2013,“Uganda wont be left out for long. “We will start setting up all over the country in January 2014 and ask you to enroll at your nearest parish on Feb 10 2014 in the mass enrolment exercise that will take three months.” Our discontentment also comes to how a projectof national interest is conducted as if it’s a personal business with a crude selection system of the members on the committee who comprise of only senior Army officials and tribe mates. For instance Colonel Stephen Kwiringira, the former Head of Information Technology in the UPDF is the new head of National Security Information System project, which is in charge of producing National Identity Cards. He was appointed by General Aronda Nyakairima, deputized by Major Kweri Celet Twino and Betty Nasenjawho was involved in the initial national identity card project before it hit a snag. All those mentioned above subscribe to Museveni’s personal interests and the project. Bugirwa Moses, Kitonsa Allan NB. The exercise is wrong and should be halted and we demand for prosecution of all those involved in the loses identified above. As Ugandans we are therefore prepared to encounter all the challenges we shall go through when de ’campaigning it. Three years after the deadline set by the East African Community Common Market Protocol for all citizens of the regional bloc to have national identity cards have passed with only only 401 Ugandans out of a population of 34 million receiving identity cards in2012. Deputy chairman of the Parliamentary committee on Defense and Internal Affairs Simon Mulongo said some officials flouted public procurement laws while selecting German firm Mulhlbauer ID Services to execute the project; which later failed to do the job up to date no money was compensated. The other ministers and officials are also accused of controversially, and without feasible explanation, inflating the cost of the project from Ush200 billion ($80.1 million) to Ush249.5 billion ($99.7 million). As a result, Uganda had by 2012 lost Ush249.5 billion ($99.7 million) as the material and equipment for the project lie idle at the Uganda Printing and Publishing Corporation in Entebbe, since it were brought into the country in 2010. This is effectively how nearly $100 million went down the drain. First in 2012, for 401 IDs, Ugandans paid $80 million; then, because of the waivers granted to the contractor, the government was compelled to assume Mulhlbauer’s tax obligations, as a consequence of which the Ugandan taxpayer lost $12.2 million. Further, the contract with the German firm did not cater for currency fluctuations, a scenario that cost Ugandans $2.2 million. The other loss of $5.7 million was a result of paying interest, since former finance minister Ms Bbumba secretly borrowed to fund the project. Government departments have been fighting with each other, with the Ministry of Internal Affairs saying that asking Ugandans to pay for their identity cards is tantamount to buying their citizenship, a position that the Ministry of Finance opposes, saying Ugandans should share the costs in order for the ID project to take off. Parliament, investigated the misuse of funds for the National Security Information System (NSIS) — commonly referred to as the ID project and recommended interdiction and prosecution of public officials, notably former finance minister Syda Bbumba for appropriating the money for the project without parliament’s approval but nothing was done. Others are former Internal Affairs Minister Kirunda Kivejinja, former attorney general Khiddu Makubuya and Internal Affairs Permanent Secretary Stephen Kagoda. The Electoral Commission’s Secretary Sam Rwakojo is also named in the scam, and parliament asked him to pay for the loss of kits that included over 30 laptops and cameras.
Posted on: Tue, 04 Mar 2014 09:31:11 +0000
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