By Jael Namiganda
In a bid to improve health services and delivery across Uganda, experts are calling on the government to strengthen Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) systems. They argue that CRVS remains under-prioritized despite being a vital component in effective national planning.
CRVS involves the official recording of key life events—births, deaths, marriages, and divorces—by the state. This data is critical for government planning, resource allocation, and policy development. However, in Uganda, sustained policy and budgetary support for CRVS is still lacking.
Currently, only 31% of births in Uganda are notified, 11.4% are registered with a birth certificate, and just 10.3% of children under five have complete birth registration. Only 9.8% of children under one year have their births registered, and just 35.8% of deaths are certified.
Dr. Michael Mwanga, Assistant Commissioner for Surveillance, Information, and Knowledge Management at the Ministry of Health, attributes these low figures to the lack of harmonized guidelines and frameworks. “We have the systems in place to collect vital data, but we face several challenges. Health workers need training, services must be brought closer to vulnerable rural populations, and we need better infrastructure, guidelines, and resources,” he said.
The National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) is mandated to manage the National Identification Register by registering all Ugandan citizens, as well as births and deaths, and assigning a unique identification number to each person.
Amato Esther Eunice, a resident of Kalaki, shared the practical challenges faced by many parents. “Midwives at my local health center always ask for birth certificates, but NIRA offices are too far. I can’t carry all three of my children such a long distance, and people say the offices are overcrowded.”
Robert Offiti, Regional Manager for the Coalition of Health Promotion and Social Development (HEPS Uganda), noted that despite government efforts to increase CRVS funding—from UGX 3.5 billion in FY 2020/21 to UGX 22.2 billion in FY 2024/25—registration numbers remain low. He emphasized the need to expand registration services to rural and marginalized communities and improve coordination between NIRA, health facilities, and the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) for better data sharing.
“For effective development and equitable health service delivery—including planning for medicines, family planning supplies, and immunization—we must have reliable data,” Offiti said.
Charles Onyum, Media Coordinator for the Global Health Advocacy Incubator, highlighted the organization’s role in supporting policy improvement around CRVS. “We work with government and stakeholders to improve policies and governance around civil registration, vital statistics, and identity management for better planning and equitable resource distribution,” he said.
The Global Health Advocacy Incubator offers legal reviews and budget advocacy to enhance public health data systems, enabling governments to collect and use data to prioritize health needs, design policies, allocate resources, and measure access.