Government has today launched the biometric refugee verification exercise in Oruchinga sefugee settlement in Mbarara district, in an effort to improve efficiency in the management of refugees in Uganda.
The launch was presided over by Douglas Asiimwe, the Officer in Charge of Refugee Protection in the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) who was accompanied by UNHCR Representative, Bornwell Kantande and the Country Director of the World Food Programme, El Khidir Daloum.
Asiimwe explained that the government was using UNHCR’s advanced registration tools to improve refugee data.
The urgent intervention to biometrically verify the number of refugees currently hosted in Uganda follows recent allegations of corruption, mismanagement of resources meant for refugees and inflation of the refugee population by officials at the OPM. These allegations have since prompted appeals from donors for reassurances from both government and UNHCR regarding accountability.
The verification in Oruchinga settlement which hosts 6,852 refugees is expected to last until 4 March, according to government.
“The exercise follows a directive by the Prime Minister to authenticate the data contained in the Government’s refugee registration system,” Asiimwe said.
“It will help us to ensure that we have credible information to protect and assist refugees effectively and efficiently,” he added in his address to refugees in the settlement.
During the nationwide exercise, authorities will capture individual refugees’ details like fingerprints, scanning eyes, and recording information about refugees’ vulnerabilities.
The UNHCR Representative in Uganda commended the show of good will by the government, which demonstrates its commitment towards ensuring responsibility and accountability in the refugee response.
“This verification exercise will benefit you and your families. Your children and the children in host communities must go to school. Elderly people, too, must be supported,” Katende told the refugees.
He called on the refugees to cooperate with the verification teams, and to be patient.
“If they ask questions, it is to make sure that proper information is recorded. That information is needed to support the government to provide you services”.
After Oruchinga, the verification exercise will be rolled out to the rest of the refugee settlements and urban refugees in Kampala. The six-month long verification will have with six teams working simultaneously over the coming months to register 18,000 people a day.
Upon verification, refugees will receive new ration cards, and biometric identification will henceforth be used to provide individual assistance.
On Friday, the officials also toured the site where 64 OPM and UNHCR staff are conducting the verification supported by 42 volunteers from the refugee community, who are assisting with translation and crowd control. Local police are providing security.
The WFP Country Director highlighted the importance of partnership. “We are here to support the Government, the people of Uganda and UNHCR so together we can serve you better. By conducting this verification, the government is making a milestone step and is proving to the international community that we are delivering accountably to all of you,” he said. “It will equip us to deliver food to the right people and leave no one behind.”
Daloum lauded the OPM and UNHCR verification teams, saying what he had witnessed was above his expectations. He announced to cheers from the refugees that in January this year WFP lifted the ration cuts affecting 236,000 refugees who had been receiving half rations for a year and a half.
