The National Identification Agency (NIDA) and the Ministry of Local Government (MINALOC) may have to come up with innovative measures to ensure that people who are yet to get their national ID cards get them ahead of the elections so that they practice their civic rights.

Speaking during a meeting aimed at discussing the preparedness for the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections that will be held on July 14-15, Oda Gasinzigwa, the Chairperson of NEC, said her institution has been working with NIDA and MINALOC to ensure that all residents get IDs in time, as she urged that they may need to think about newer ways of making sure everyone gets their ID in time.

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"We have taken time to work with MINALOC and in turn, they are working with NIDA (on the pending IDs). So far, it looks like we are not yet where we want to be. There are a number of IDs that have already been issued but some have not reached their owners. We need to think about what to do if the owners don’t pick them up in time,” she noted.

In general, she urged that the local governments come up with strategies even in other areas to make sure that the elections are smooth.

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For instance, she inquired about if electricity is available at all the election points since some counting may take place at night.

"We have only two days to carry out two elections (for parliament and president). So, we may have to count votes at night. We want to do it well in places where there is light. We want to do a good job so that the preliminary results are available in time,” she noted.

In general, she emphasised the importance of local governments devising strategies to ensure smooth elections in various areas. For example, she asked about the availability of electricity at all polling stations, as some vote counting may need to occur late in the evening.

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"We have only two days to conduct both parliamentary and presidential elections. Therefore, there may be a need for night-time vote counting. It is essential that we ensure adequate lighting for accurate counting and timely reporting of preliminary results,” she emphasised.

Officials assured that every cell office has electricity, and stated that the city has approximately 1,089,167 registered voters. However, they are updating the voter lists to account for factors such as migration.