Rubavu District has intensified efforts to register nearly 59,000 undocumented children after official records revealed a significant backlog in birth registration. Data from the district show that, as of May 28, 2026, the National Identification Agency (NIDA) had identified 88,007 unregistered children in Rubavu, prompting authorities to launch a district-wide birth registration campaign. The exercise has been conducted daily since June 4, with progress monitored through daily reports. By June 30, the number of unregistered children had fallen to 58,967, meaning 29,030 children were registered in less than a month. ALSO READ: Citizens urged on timely registration of death, birth events Rubavu Mayor Prosper Mulindwa said one of the main challenges behind the backlog was a shortage of computers for Socio-Economic Development Officers (SEDOs), who facilitate birth registration. We have been addressing this challenge over the last two weeks. The number was even higher, but with the ongoing measures, we are making good progress and are confident this issue will be resolved, Mulindwa said. We have ordered computers, and we will distribute them to ensure that all personnel involved are properly equipped. He also attributed the problem to some parents failing to register their children within the required timeframe, urging them to take greater responsibility. It is every parent's responsibility to ensure their child is registered on time. Through increased mobilisation, we also want to understand why some parents continue to leave their children undocumented, he said, noting that some cases stem from family disputes while others result from negligence. Rubavu Sector is among the areas making notable progress. As of June 2026, the sector had identified 6,584 unregistered children. Following an intensive verification exercise that matched data from the Social Registry with the National Population Registry, 56.8 percent of the cases have been resolved. The sector now has 2,844 cases remaining and aims to complete the exercise by July 6. Our registration records were previously paper-based, but they have now been digitized through efforts by the Ministry of Local Government and the National Identification Agency, said Emmanuel Blaise Harerimana, Executive Secretary of Rubavu Sector. We have been conducting an intensive household-level campaign, and within the last two weeks more than 56 percent of the identified cases have been resolved. We expect to complete the remaining registrations by July 6. Civil registration officials who spoke to The New Times said many delayed registrations involve parents who still rely on old paper records and are unfamiliar with the current digital registration system, particularly for births recorded before 2020. Many parents believe their children are registered because they have paper documents. However, when we verify the information in the electronic system, we find that many records are missing, one civil registrar said. There is a need for continued public awareness to help people understand the current birth registration system. According to the Rwanda Vital Statistics Report 2025 by the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR), 356,838 births were registered in 2025, with the national birth registration completeness rate rising from 90.3 percent in 2024 to 92.9 percent in 2025. The report also shows that 99.1 percent of births registered in 2025 were recorded within 30 days, unchanged from the previous year. However, delayed registrations—such as many of those currently being processed in Rubavu and other districts—are not included in the calculation of the national birth registration completeness rate. ALSO READ: Inside Rwanda’s digital civil registration system The Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) system shows that 97.8 percent of registered live births occurred in health facilities, while community births accounted for a relatively small share. The highest proportions of community births were recorded in Rutsiro (4.7 percent), Kamonyi (4.0 percent), and Nyamasheke (3.5 percent), while Ruhango, Nyarugenge and Kirehe each recorded the lowest share at 1.1 percent. In Rubavu, 2.8 percent of births occurred in the community. CRVS data further show that 84.4 percent of births took place within the mother's district of residence, reflecting continued improvements in Rwanda's civil registration system.
