Birth registration in Uganda: Challenges, Opportunities and Lessons

This book provides a basis to assess the inherent factors affecting birth registration and identify best practices and recommendations to improve systems and procedures for effective birth registration in the sub-Saharan Africa taking Uganda as the case study. The researcher used both primary (key informant interview with a randomly selected sample of 500 individuals and secondary data, using the Uganda Demographic Health Survey 2011 dataset and a descriptive design. A functioning system of birth and civil registration ensures that the country has an up-to-date and reliable database for planning, maintaining education, health and other social services for the community. The researcher recommended increased awareness of the public in general, women in particular, of the importance of birth, especially as a fundamental right of the child; increased capacity for birth registration duty-bearers to perform their assigned duties; improve provision of materials, equipment and infrastructure required to administer registration; improved links between birth registration and social services relevant to children (immunization, basic education, special education, orphan care.