The Minister for Home Affairs, George Simbachawene, has launched a special short code that will enable citizens to track the status of their National Identification Cards (IDs) after submitting their applications.
The code was officially launched today in Dar es Salaam, where the minister said the initiative aims to address challenges faced by many citizens who have applied for national IDs but are unaware of the progress of their applications.
Under the new system, applicants can dial 15274 to receive real-time information on whether their IDs have been processed, printed or delivered to their respective collection centres, including district offices where they registered.
Minister Simbachawene noted that a large number of national IDs have already been produced and distributed to relevant locations across the country, but many remain uncollected.
As a result, some citizens have failed to access essential services such as healthcare, social welfare benefits, student registration in higher learning institutions and loans from the Higher Education Students’ Loans Board (HESLB).
“As we speak today, in all our districts nationwide, there are many national ID cards that have not been collected. The main reason is that applicants do not know the status of their IDs,” said Mr Simbachawene.
He explained that through the newly launched system, applicants will be informed if their IDs are ready within five days after application. If not, the system will also explain the reasons for the delay.
The minister further revealed that the government is considering phasing out the use of the National Identification Number (NIN) as a substitute for the physical ID card. He said many people have stopped collecting their cards despite the fact that they were produced using taxpayers’ money.
“It is not right for citizens to continue using the NIN as an ID while their physical cards are ready. They should go and collect their national IDs,” he stressed.
Speaking at the same event, the Director General of the National Identification Authority (NIDA), Mr James Kaji, said the authority has continued to decentralise the distribution of national IDs down to the ward level.
However, a significant number of citizens have still failed to collect their cards, forcing NIDA to return them to district offices.
Mr Kaji expressed optimism that the introduction of the 15274 system will significantly improve the collection rate, as applicants can now easily access information about their IDs using their mobile phones.
He said the system is part of ongoing efforts to improve service delivery and ensure that all eligible citizens obtain and use their national identification cards for official and social services.
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