GASABO - Government will this month launch the distribution of new electronic national identity cards, an official at the National ID project has confirmed. The distribution was expected to begin last month.

Pascal Nyamurinda, the coordinator of the National ID project Friday, said that a law concerning the evaluation of IDs needed to be passed by Parliament before distribution could begin.

"The law passed by the Parliament was successfully adopted, and we are waiting for a Ministerial order to be passed in the Cabinet to allow official distribution.”

Nyamurinda said in an interview at his Kimihurura office in Gasabo District. He said that the production and printing process of the new identity cards is in the final stages and will be completed  by June 23. The photographing exercise began in February this year.

Nyamurinda explained that a total of 495,000 people had their photos taken for the new electronic identity cards in Kigali City.

"I want to dispel fears among some residents who missed registration. This is an ongoing process. There are many other Rwandans who will turn 16 years next year and will be registered to get their new IDs,” Nyamurinda explained.

"We want all people in the country who had their photos taken to get their IDs by September before the election of Members of Parliament,” he said.

A total of 9,043,580 people registered for the national identity cards countrywide.

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