RITA issues 195,000 birth, death certificates within two months

DAR ES SALAAM: THE Registration, Insolvency and Trusteeship Agency (RITA) has received a total of 198,972 applications for birth and death certificates.

According to RITA’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Frank Kanyusi, 195,771 applications, equivalent to 98.4 per cent, have already been processed and certificates issued.

Speaking to journalists in Dar es Salaam yesterday, Mr Kanyusi reported that of the total applications, 179,485 were for the verification of birth certificates, while 19,487 were for death certificate verifications.

Additionally, 18,341 applications were submitted for corrections to existing certificates and were returned to the applicants after the necessary amendments.

However, 562 applications were rejected because the submitted certificates were invalid.

Mr Kanyusi noted that 3,201 applications are still in progress and are expected to be completed within a few days.

He explained that delays in processing were due to several challenges, including network issues that significantly disrupted the agency’s operations.

The task force promptly addressed these issues to restore normal operations.

“Before the network problems, we faced other challenges such as the submission of illegible documents with faded text, which made it difficult for our experts to read and led to some certificates being rejected,” Mr Kanyusi explained.

He also noted that incorrect documents, such as a birth certificate submitted instead of a verification certificate, led to some verification failures.

“There were also instances where documents were password-protected, preventing our agency from verifying them,” he added.

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Furthermore, some applicants submitted certificates issued abroad, which RITA is not authorised to verify.

Mr Kanyusi highlighted that failures to monitor verification status in applicants’ accounts also contributed to increased complaints.

“For example, some applicants selected reasons for verification that did not align with requirements for higher education loans.

Nevertheless, we have continued to provide guidance both in our offices and through our social media channels,” he said.

In addition to processing birth and death certificates, RITA also manages applications from students seeking birth certificates to fulfil requirements for higher education loans.

Mr Kanyusi urged students to use the remaining time wisely to verify their birth and death certificates to qualify for these loans.

He encouraged students to submit their applications through RITA’s social media channels to understand the requirements and ensure their applications are processed before the application period closes.