Nakivale (Uganda) : the birth registration campaign hampered by the refugees’ mistrust

SOS Médias Burundi

Nakivale, May 9, 2026 — In the Nakivale refugee camp in southwestern Uganda, the birth registration campaign for children under five is encountering strong resistance from many families, despite its free nature and the awareness-raising efforts of authorities and humanitarian organizations.

For the past two weeks, the National Registration and Identification Authority (NIRA), with the support from the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), has been conducting an operation to issue birth certificates to refugee children born in Uganda. The goal is to facilitate these children’s access to essential services, particularly in healthcare and education.

However, the participation remains limited. Many refugees are refusing to register their children, expressing fears that the process will automatically lead to Ugandan citizenship.

“We fear that our children will be taken from us and that they will irreversibly become Ugandan citizens, even though sooner or later we will have to return to our country,” says a Burundian refugee and father of two children under five.

This sentiment is shared by several families from different communities in the camp, including Somali, Ethiopian, Sudanese, and Congolese refugees. Some even cite the example of former Rwandan refugees who arrived after 1959, some of whom are believed to have become Ugandan citizens over the years.

“Imagine if I go back tomorrow and some of my children are still here!” says worryingly a Congolese refugee.

Faced with this resistance, the NIRA and NRC teams were forced to extend the campaign beyond the initial deadline in order to intensify awareness-raising efforts within the camp. They emphasize that the birth registration does not automatically confer citizenship, but is an essential administrative right.

Officials also explain that unregistered children risk having to pay approximately 50,000 Ugandan shillings to obtain a birth certificate, a cost also applicable to Ugandan citizens.

According to the authorities and organizations involved, community leaders, local associations, and religious leaders have been mobilized to convince families of the importance of this process.

The Nakivale camp hosts more than 150,000 refugees from over a dozen nationalities, including a large Burundian community. According to the NRC, more than a third of the children in the camp were born in Uganda, but many still lack official documents, a situation that complicates their access to public services and legal protection.