The National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) has officially launched a mass exercise to renew and register national identity cards, nearly two years after it was approved by Cabinet. But while the long-awaited programme has finally begun, the first in line are not ordinary citizens—but officials from NIRA itself and the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The renewal comes at a crucial time, with millions of cards issued between 2014 and 2015 set to expire—some already have. Authorities say up to 15.8 million identity cards are due to lapse by August this year, and an additional 17.2 million people are expected to register for the first time, bringing the total number of targeted Ugandans to more than 33 million.
At the launch event held in Kampala, State Minister for Internal Affairs Gen David Muhoozi said the National Identification Register currently holds biometric and biographic data for 27.7 million Ugandans.
“In August 2022, Cabinet approved this mass enrollment and renewal to address the expiry of 15.8 million cards,” Gen Muhoozi said. “Some of these have already expired, and at one point, we had to extend their validity by statutory instrument just to avoid disrupting service delivery.”
He said the government has made significant investments in both technology and infrastructure to support the rollout. This includes the purchase of 5,665 biometric registration kits from UAE-based firm Tahaluf Al Emarat, which were delivered in January and distributed across the country by late February.
Two high-capacity card printing machines have also been procured, with a combined daily output of up to 100,000 laser-engraved cards. These were delivered in March.
The system underpinning the renewed drive has also undergone a complete overhaul. Gen Muhoozi described it as a “modular, open-source identification platform” capable of capturing additional biometric features—including iris scans—for enhanced security. All data collection will be conducted by NIRA officers at designated registration points.
The pilot phase of the project began on 2 May, with the first recipients being top officials from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and NIRA’s board of directors. This phase runs until 26 May and is designed to pave the way for a broader national rollout.
“Starting May 27, we’ll be operating at the parish level in all 146 districts,” Gen Muhoozi confirmed. “We are working in coordination with the Electoral Commission, whose National Display exercise is key to maintaining the integrity of our democratic process.”
During the mass registration, citizens aged 16 and above will be eligible for an ID, while those enrolling for the first time will be issued a National Identification Number (NIN). Cards will initially be issued within four weeks of application, though this is expected to drop to two weeks as processing systems improve.
The Minister clarified that while renewal and first-time registration will be free of charge, those seeking to change personal details or replace lost cards will incur a fee.
