Modelling population registration and national indentification system in Uganda

Abstract

The study examines the current state, access, accuracy and utilisation of population information in Uganda. The problem was that many people are born; they die unaccounted for; enabling the presentation of false demographic estimates and deliberate manipulations and falsification of population statistics in Uganda. The main objective of the study was to develop a model for population registration and national identification System (PRNIS), in which the demographic changes such as birth, marriage, migration, death and some socio-economic characteristics of Ugandan population are continuously recorded. Participants from Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB), Population secretariat (PS) and officials from Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) were interviewed. A qualitative method was adopted, and data collection included content analysis, participant observation, guided interviews and focus group discussions. It was discovered that URBS with assistance United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) had introduced Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) in some public hospitals. The data gathered from all the sources, provided an insight to pave way for system modelling. The study concluded that creating a model for developing a system for continuous registration of events enables ascertainment of accurate statistics for the population and provides legal proof of identity of citizens and also creates a repository for vital statistics in Uganda. The study recommends that the system should provide a mechanism to manage and coordinate the population information which provides accurate statistics in order to eliminate wrong statistical estimations.