Uganda: Information on household registration requirements, the procedures for registering a place of residence in the community and after relocating in a new community, on whether a "Resistance Committee" movement paper is required when registering, and whether heads of households are required to report newcomers to the community; on whether there is a law or statute governing household registration

The following information was obtained in a telephone interview with an official at the High Commission for the Republic of Uganda in Ottawa on 11 January 1996.

According to the official, household registration does not exist per se, rather social custom dictates that newcomers to a household be introduced to the local village chief or head of the community. When the National Resistance Movement (NRM) came to power in 1986, Resistance Committees or Councils were created for local governance, and it is to this body that newcomers are to be introduced. The practice is as much a custom of honouring the village leader as it is a means for the community to get to know everyone.

There is no explicit statute or legislation governing this custom, thus it is not a criminal offence if a newcomer is not introduced to the local leadership. However, if someone was not introduced it might be viewed as a violation of custom or a snubbing of the local leader, which might create suspicion. In such a case, a village leader might elect to fine the host or require the host to perform some sort of community service.

The official stated that rural communities rely on oral communication and are less likely to issue a document when a newcomer is introduced. A village leader might write a letter of introduction for a person relocating to a new village, to present to the leader of the new village, but this would depend on local circumstances and practices. Some Resistance Committees might issue a document, but it is not a requirement.

In urban areas the custom of introducing newcomers is "less functional" because of the greater mobility of urban people. There is no legislated procedure for recording places of residence, and as a result less attention is paid to keeping track of who lives in a neighbourhood.

In areas of armed conflict the authorities might require householders to keep track of people who are lodging with them, but the official was not aware of any specific legislation on this matter.

In a telephone interview on 17 January 1996, a professor of government specializing in Uganda at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire corroborated the informal nature of the custom described by the Ugandan official. The professor stated that one of the roles of the Resistance Committees is to keep track of who lives in the community, in a fashion similar to the neighbourhood watch program. However, the professor stated that the actual practice has been "ignored as much as followed" (ibid.). The professor added that the practice was probably more closely followed in areas of unrest as a means of keeping a check on local populations, particularly in the early years of the Resistance Committees.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.

References

Professor of government specializing in Uganda, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH. 17 January 1996. Telephone interview.

High Commission for the Republic of Uganda, Ottawa . 11 January 1996. Telephone interview with official.