The voter registration update exercise, which began on Monday, saw an influx of Turkana residents from Kenya, many of whom have lived in Moroto for decades, seeking voter registration.
The Turkana community living in Moroto District, Uganda, has been denied voter registration and issuance of National IDs, as the Electoral Commission and the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) warned that non-citizens would not be registered as voters.
The voter registration update exercise, which began on Monday, saw an influx of Turkana residents from Kenya, many of whom have lived in Moroto for decades, seeking voter registration. However, NIRA clarified that while some claim to have lived in the district for over 40 years, they could not be registered for Ugandan citizenship, as they are Kenyan citizens by birth, not through nationalization.
NIRA further explained that only children of Ugandan parents, not Kenyan mothers married to Ugandan nationals, can be registered as Ugandan citizens. Rose Lily Loumo, the District Election Administrator and Returning Officer for Moroto, said that many Turkana people who had lived in the district for many years were eager to register to vote.
However, Loumo emphasized that due to the citizenship restrictions under the law, only children born to Ugandan parents were eligible for registration, not their parents. She added that many Turkana residents are not yet fully aware of the registration procedures, with even eligible citizens failing to register for Ugandan citizenship.
Loumo noted that the voter registration update exercise had started well, with all sub-counties receiving their kits on time. However, she acknowledged challenges with network connectivity in areas such as Katikekile, Tapac, and Lotisan. She assured that registration centers had been set up in each sub-county, with the registration team rotating across centers to ensure that all residents could access the service.
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Susan Talep, Moroto's NIRA registration officer, added that the update officers had been trained on citizenship matters to clarify what constitutes Ugandan citizenship. She noted that many people were unaware of the necessary criteria for citizenship, which had delayed the registration process. Talep also mentioned that the team was trained in using registration technology, particularly the kits used for field registration.
Talep said the update process included allocating newly registered citizens to polling stations and updating the records of existing citizens. She also highlighted challenges related to name changes, as some people forget the names they originally used in registration, causing difficulties in tracking information in the system. Additionally, low staffing at NIRA has led to long queues, further delaying the process.
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Meanwhile, some community members voiced their frustration with the slow service at NIRA offices due to the overwhelming number of people seeking registration. Hussein Enon, a resident of Lira District, shared his experience of transferring his voter registration to Moroto District to avoid wasting resources during elections. He expressed his disappointment with NIRA officials, saying it took him an entire day to obtain the National Identification Number (NIN) required for the voter registration update.
Enon said the NIRA office was overwhelmed with people, causing delays and discouraging some community members from completing the process. He also pointed out that a stamp from the local LC1 is required for those transferring their voter registration. Although LC1 officials were advised not to charge for the stamps, some complained about running out of ink without compensation.