Why removing expiry date from national IDs was long overdue

Dar es Salaam. Experts say the government’s decision to remove the expiration date from the National Identification document (ID) is the best option under international best practises, where national IDs are provided for life.

Whilst some have reacted quickly to the decision by claiming that since people’s appearances change, the national ID card should also be updated occasionally, it is important to take into account the costs and the realities of the situation.

On Tuesday, the minister for Home Affairs, Mr Hamad Masauni, announced the removal of the expiration date citing the aim as being to do away with the unnecessary inconvenience that would arise from the renewal of the document.

As a result of the revision, everyone whose national IDs have reached their expiration date or are about to do so will still be able to use the document.

National IDs were first issued in February 2013 after the idea was launched by the then-President Jakaya Kikwete, who outlined the need that they be used for 10 years before being renewed. Each citizen would have had to spend Sh20,000 to renew their ID cards.

Yet, a nation like Uganda, which has used the same process for its citizens to renew their IDs, has already generated a great deal of controversy since some people think that citizenship, once obtained or proven, is a lifetime privilege that can only be taken away by the State on certain grounds.

Mr Julius Kamrungwa, a Ugandan national living and working in Tanzania, told The Citizen yesterday that the current Ugandan National IDs, which were issued in 2014, have a 10-year lifespan that will expire next year, and that the movement of people to begin registration and renewal has already been hampered by difficulties.

“I applaud the Tanzanian government for taking this action, since it has already caused a heated discussion regarding granting a citizen temporary citizenship in our nation and comes with a number of drawbacks,” he said via WhatsApp.

He noted that already the cost implications of re-registration was staggering and a burden for the country.

For Kenya, the ID is mandatory and must be acquired when an individual turns 18, and is issued free of charge with no expiration date. This is the case in Rwanda, Botswana and South Africa just to mention but a few.

This, Dr Amani Msalila, an expert in international relations says is the international best practice where national IDs are issued for life.

“How will we integrate fully in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the rest of East Africa yet we are essentially temporary citizens of our own home, Tanzania,” he said.

“How will Kenya and Rwanda and other African countries allow free movement of Tanzanians into their territories knowing that Tanzanians’ citizenship is limited and they could potentially become stateless? He queried.

For her part, Dr Eunice Mmari, an economist from the University of Dodoma focused on the implications of the process of renewing IDs on the country’s economy explaining that the beneficiaries of the projects are few people, and the money used is a lot.

According to Dr Mmari, the speech by the minister for Home Affairs while presenting expenditure estimates for the financial year 2022/2023 in March, 2022 showed that the National Identification Authority (NIDA) had signed a contract with Iris Corporation Company from Malaysia.

The 18-month contract involved the purchase of raw cards and IT equipment, maintenance of the Information Processing Centre and the Disaster Relief Centre, as well as training.

Its implementation cost Sh9 billion allocated in 2021/2022 to produce 1,960,000 IDs by June, 2022.

For the fiscal year 2022/2023, the Ministry through NIDA planned to continue with the exercise of registration and identification of people where a total of 1,200,000 people are expected to be identified and registered.

In addition, according to the speech, an amount of more than Sh42 billion has been allocated to buy 8,500,000 second edition raw cards to continue with the production of identification cards.

Also, NIDA has allocated Sh1.2 billion to buy six vehicles that will support registration activities.

“If we look at the cost of continuing to implement the current project, it would be a great loss for the nation to do things that can be avoided. That money ends up benefiting the company concerned and a few people who have their interests,” explained Dr Mmari.