Nira launches mass ID enrollment
State Minister for Internal Affairs Gen David Muhoozi capturing the iris biometric features during the launch of the mass enrollment and renewal of the national IDs on May 5, 2025. PHOTO/ABUBAKER LUBOWA
What you need to know:
While those who have never been registered before and those whose identity cards have expired will be issued the cards for free, those who want to change particulars and those whose identity cards have been lost will have to part with money.
The National Identification and Registration Authority (Nira) has launched the mass enrollment exercise, after months of delays, with the first batch of those to receive the service expected to be its own top leadership and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, leaving the ordinary Ugandans waiting.
The country’s first batch of cards was issued between 2014 and 2015, while some expired in August 2024, and another batch of the cards will expire in August 2025. During the ongoing exercise, Nira plans to renew up to 15.8 million cards that are set to expire in August this year.
The entity also says it targets to register 17.2 million new ones, bringing the total up to 33 million Ugandans. Gen David Muhoozi, the state minister for internal affairs, while launching the exercise yesterday, said currently the National Identification Register contains biographic and biometric records of 27.7 million Ugandans, including those whose identity cards are set to expire by August this year.
“In August 2022, the Cabinet approved the mass enrollment and renewal exercise to renew a total of 15.8 million cuts that are expiring in June 2025. It is important to note that many have already expired.
And you remember at one point we had to use a statutory instrument to extend the life of those IDs so that people are not disrupted in what they do because the ID is held in service delivery. That is pending this launch of the new ID. Another goal of the exercise is to register 17.2 million,” he said.
Gen Muhoozi said the government has procured up to 5,665 biometric registration kits from Tahaluf Al Emarat Technical Solutions, which the company delivered in January. He said the equipment had already been distributed countrywide on February 25.
He also said the government procured two-card production machines with a combined printing capacity of up to 100,000 laser-engraved cards per day, which were delivered in March.
According to him, the government has also put in place new data centre equipment, including five racks, eight servers, firewalls, and other communication equipment, a new national security information system built on the modular open source identification platform.
“Those are the features, and this national security information system is built on a modular open source identification platform, MOSIF. The new system provides for online registration of biographical data. Furthermore, the new system will capture the iris in the eye as an additional biometric feature.
Biometrics will only be taken at designated registration points by a Nira registration officer,” he said. The new system that went full throttle on May 2, with the first beneficiaries being the officials at the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Nira, is a pilot programme which will run until May 26, and thereafter rolled out to the entire population.
“Today, I'm thrilled to announce that the Nira is ready to begin the pilot phase of the mass enrollment and renewal exercise here at the ministry, but also in other places. The pilot phase will run from May 2 to May 26th, to allow the Electoral Commission to complete the National Display exercise, a process critical to our democracy and sovereignty,” he said.
“The pilot phase began with the renewal of the IDs of the board of directors of Nira and the top management of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. During the pilot phase, Nira will register, renew, and issue IDs at selected sites with identified key stakeholders. Beginning May 27, the National Identification Authority will mobilise and deploy at the parish level within every district of the country in the 146 administrative units of Uganda,” he added.
Issuance of cards
The Minister said during this process, the identity cards will be issued to those who have clocked 16 years and above, and a NIN allocated to new registrations of persons who have never registered before.
“During the processing of information, an applicant may be required to provide additional information. In the first five to five months of the exercise, a card will be issued within four weeks of a successful application. This is because of the volumes that have to be processed, subsequently, this time is expected to reduce to two weeks,” he said.
Heavy penalties for lost cards
Mr Muhoozi said while those who have never been registered before and those whose identity cards have expired will be issued the cards for free, those who want to change particulars and those whose identity cards have been lost will have to part with money.
