INDIVIDUALS who are yet to collect their national identification cards have 30 days in which to do so in district offices after the cards were moved from village and street or ward offices to district headquarters.

James Kaji, the National Identification Authority (NIDA) director general, announced the deadline at a press briefing in Dar es Salaam yesterday, underlining that failure to do so will result in the suspension of using national identification numbers (NIN).

Affirming that this would effectively halt the use of the key component of identification for essential public services, he said the decision was made to address the backlog of uncollected cards.

Stressing that the matter is urgent, he asked the public to take note that obtaining the number is not obtaining proper identification, so citizens who have yet to pick up their IDs need to do so with urgency.

 “We work day and night to ensure that all eligible citizens can collect their IDs, and we will not hesitate to revoke IDs if necessary,” he said.

NIDA has taken measures to send SMS notifications to individuals informing them of collection points, he stated, asserting that anyone who will receive notification from NIDA to collect his/ or her card, will have  30 days to take it to avoid being delisted from receiving key services using the NIN component tied up with the card.

Many ID cards dating back to 2017 remain uncollected despite government efforts to distribute them more efficiently, he stated, pointing out that to ensure ease of access, the government allocated over 40bn/- for the production and distribution of IDs.

A total of 737,916 cards have been dispatched to district offices from the village, ward and shehias to facilitate easy identification of the IDs in digital systems and notifying the concerned individuals, he said.

Those who feel unable to collect their cards in person can send a relative to pick them up on their behalf, especially if they are far from the collection point, he said.

“The National ID is vital for accessing services such as health insurance, travel passports and banking. It is essential that all eligible citizens collect their IDs without delay,” he emphasised.

The card processing system has been streamlined, with new applications facilitating more efficient processing to prevent backlogs, he said, pointing at the need to access job opportunities or university admissions.

Some individuals had registered several times using different names, leading to difficulties in verification, he said, pointing out that over 600 people have been identified as using fraudulent identities, and legal action is already underway.

“We have communicated with the Attorney General to take legal action against those who have used fake identities,” the director stated, highlighting that using false names is illegal, and the agency will not tolerate it.

Those who have lost or damaged their cards need to report to the agency for officials to investigate the matter, he said, asking individuals to take damaged cards to district offices for reprinting.

NIDA had also launched an investigation to determine the cause of issuance of some substandard cards and the cardholders need to return the cards for re-printing, he added.