Terry was fortunate to have these documents. But how many parents out there have birth certificates for their children; how many have registered the births? Birth registration is a permanent and official record of a child’s existence. The child who is not registered at birth is in danger of being denied the right to an official identity, a recognized name. A birth certificate protects the holder against early marriage, child labour, or detention and persecution as an adult; the unregistered child may be unable to apply for a passport or formal job, open a bank account, and get a driving license or a marriage certificate. It is also an essential element of national planning for governments.

Birth registration is a right for every child. Do we have birth registrations in Uganda? Is every child under five recorded to have been born?

“The child shall be registered immediately after birth and shall have the right from birth to a name, the right to acquire a nationality and as far as possible, the right to know and be cared for by his or her parents.”- Article 7 of the 1989 U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)

UNICEF global databases, 2016, based on DHS, MICS, other national household surveys, censuses and vital registration systems have records of children reported to have a birth certificate regardless of whether or not it was seen by the interviewer, and those without a birth certificate whose mother or caregiver says the birth has been registered.

The world over, the percentage of children under age five whose births are registered is 71%. Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CEE/CIS) has the highest level of birth registration, with 98 per cent of children under 5 registered. Lowest levels of birth registration are found in sub-Saharan Africa (41 per cent) with Eastern and Southern Africa having 45 per cent of the births registered. That means only 9 in every 20 births are registered. Unfortunately the low numbers in the sub-Saharan region are no surprise at all; there is a correlation between level of development and birth registration. Even in the least developed countries urban areas record higher birth registration than rural areas.

So how does Uganda fair in all these statistics? Sadly, from the data, we note that Uganda falls below the regional statistic; only 3 in 10 births are registered, meaning 70 per cent of births in the country go unregistered; 7 in 10 children have no official record of their existence.

Within three months of the date of birth of a live child, the father or mother of the child shall register such particulars concerning the birth as
may be prescribed with the registrar of the births and deaths registration district in which the child was born. – Births and Registration Act

Gorreti a mother of two says that ‘With my first born I assumed that he was registered at the hospital and I have never followed up since. For my second born we were given an immunisation card at the hospital and told to go register him at Kololo; we have not yet done that.’ Crystal who has four children said that her first born was registered because they were told to do so, however the others have not been registered because of the busy schedules of the parents.

Of the births that are registered urban areas record a slightly higher number than rural areas. 38 per cent of births in the urban areas are recorded compared to 29 per cent of those occurring in the rural ares. Distance to the nearest registration facility plays a big part in these numbers. It is noteworthy that the Uganda Urban Population stands at 16.8% in 2017;  a low representation of the population.

Thankfully of the registered births male and female have equal representation with each gender having 30 % recorded births. However, when we look at the wealth of the families, the richest have registered almost double the number of those in the poorest families. We therefore see a correlation between wealth and knowledge, The poor do not understand the necessity of birth registration, and unfortunately a high under five mortality rate (53 per 1,000 live births) does not give them much hope either since these deaths mostly occur among the poor.

The government of Uganda has procedures in place to ensure that all who need to register an infant do it. In 2011 they moved to automate the registration of births, deaths and marriages with the Mobile VRS, moving away from the paper forms. However, in light of all the data it is clear that government and other stakeholders need to carry out mass sensitization on the importance of birth registration. Regardless of region, wealth or sex, all births should be equal. Over 70 years ago, registration was not the norm and individuals from that time do not have documentation of their birth and are not able to point out their birth dates. Some, like President Museveni, are left to depend on church records and the like. The right to birth registration and all it comes with is one for every child who is born. For the rest of their lives these children are going to be fighting for different rights but the right to official recognition should be the first one to have.

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However, how many of these promises embeded in the manifestos are directed to the young children of the country? Kenya’s child population (0-14 year olds) is 43% of the total population; this is one of the largest demographics in the country. A large population of children (0-14) signifies high child dependency and the need to invest in child and maternal health as well as education opportunities. With this in mind it is therefore imperative to find out what the candidates have planned for the nation’s children.

Jubilee Manifesto                                                              

Jubilee Manifesto Launch

Jubilee’s vision is: A united Kenya in which wealth is created and prosperity is shared amongst all citizens; A fast-growing economy that leaves no one behind; A Kenya for all Kenyans by Kenyans; An accountable, professional and efficient government; and An influential regional power at peace with itself and its neighbours.

“Kenya has immense potential for growth, modernisation and prosperity. Growth that leaves no one behind; modernisation that secures our future for generations to come; and a prosperity that we can all share and enjoy” President Uhuru Kenyata’s address at the Manifesto launch

The manifesto noted ten points the party will work on. Out of these the promises concerning Early Childhood Development are point four and six which state:

• Expand the free primary school programme to now include free day public secondary schools in Kenya.
• Expand free maternity care to include government funded NHIF cover for every expectant mother for one year.

In the small print the manifesto further notes that it would:

Extend the “Linda Mama” programmes to a total of one year to cover both ante-natal and post-natal care and reduce maternal and child mortality rates.

Work towards achieving a 100% transition from primary to secondary school by providing free education in all public primary and public day secondary schools.

Maintain momentum in upgrading slums by providing clean water and sanitation, access roads, street lights, schools and health centres as well as income generating activities. This will help improve the lives of 4 million people living and working in slums.

Find the full manifesto here jpmanifesto2017

NASA Manifesto

NASA Manifesto Launch

NASA fronted a seven pillar vision and policy platform which the manifesto then translates into a programme of action. The vision and policy platform address:

• National reconciliation and healing
• Resolving all historical injustices
• Refining the constitution to strengthen devolution
• Transforming government from master to servant of the people
• Realizing the equality principles and goals entrenched in Article 27 of the Constitution
• Realizing social and economic rights as enshrined in Article 43 of the Constitution
• Eradicating poverty and unemployment

“…the manifesto is decidedly ideological and bold, at once pragmatic, alive to challenges of implementing social transformation, but uncompromising on principles and values. It is a manifesto for fundamental change”

Concerning early childhood development the manifesto includes:

Mainstreaming constitutional education in the school curriculum.

Progressively expanding income transfer programmes (presently limited to the elderly and households with orphans and vulnerable children (OVC)) to the critically food poor.

Establishing a National Universal Health Service Fund to be funded by the public budget for curative heath services and a minimal basic health insuarance contribution by citizens.

Delegating school infrastructure to the Counties- giving conditional grants.

Arresting high school dropout rate; expanding secondary school infrastructure; and expanding teacher training capacity hence making the primary school examinations (KPCE) redundant since every child will be assured a place.

Find the full manifesto here Nasa-Coalition-Manifesto

All in all

Although a discussion could be held on who represents the children’s issues best, these two powerhouses did not ignore the 43 per cent but included them in their manifestos and made commitments to the children of Kenya. Whichever of these parties does take the election, we will be watching and lobbying for these implementations.

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The new Uganda-UNICEF country programme 2016-2020, will have a special focus on Northern, North-East and Western Uganda, which have the lowest social-economic indicators in the country. Particular emphasis will be on early childhood development and empowerment of adolescent girls.

‘UNICEF is a dependable partner to the development efforts in the country’.

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