Parliament. The Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Thomas Tayebwa has directed the Minister for Internal Affairs Gen. Jeje Odong to appear on the floor of Parliament on Tuesday next week to explain why the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) increased national identity cards renewal and replacement fees from shs 50,000 to shs 500,000.
The Speaker’s directive came after a complaint from Nakaseke South MP Paulson Lutamaguzi Ssemakula who asked parliament to intervene in the matter noting that the money proposed by NIIRA and the Ministry of Internal Affairs is too much and can’t be afforded by poor Ugandans.
Lutamaguzi also told the Members of Parliament and the Speaker that they should remember that for Ugandans to have a national identity card is not a privilege but a right.Last week NIRA announced an increase on the replacement fees for the national ID which the Authority deemed necessary to discourage careless mistakes by applicants.