Uganda biometric national ID enrollment rescheduled for October

The long-awaited national ID card renewal and enrollment program in Uganda is now expected to begin in mid-October, according to the Interior Ministry and the National Identification and Registration Authority of the country (NIRA).

The exercise had previously been scheduled to begin on June 1, but the process has since been delayed due to shortfalls in preparations. In recognition of the delayed process, the government is also extending the validity of national ID cards set to expire in 2024 by a year.

In a recent press conference in Kampala, Minister of State for Internal Affairs, Gen David Muhoozi, and NIRA Executive Director, Rosemary Kisembo, announced that the process will now commence in October and 5,680 biometric registration kits will be deployed for it, Kampala Dispatch informs.

According to information from NIRA, the renewal exercise seeks to renew or replace the ID cards of 15.8 million citizens which are set to expire in the next one year, while the mass enrollment exercise will touch 17.2 million others who have never registered for an ID card. This time, there is also a plan to issue alien ID cards, which has not been the case for about six years now.

In the course of the presser, the officials reiterated information which had been made public before now that iris biometrics will be added to the face and fingerprint modalities of the ID card, while there will be no collection of DNA samples as rumored.

Some of the biometric gear to be deployed for the renewal and registration exercises were shown to the public during the press conference. Officials said the kits come with advanced features, different from the ones used for citizen registration in the past. They have an additional battery, a solar power kit and an iris scanner, among others.

Speaking during the outing, Muhoozi said given the pace of preparations, the most likely date for the process to begin is October 15. He advised that “during the period leading up to October 15, persons aged 16 and above, or those who will be 18 by January 2026, are encouraged to register to get a National Identification Number (NIN) using the current registration system.”

The ID is expected to align with ICAO standards for face biometrics matching, as confirmed in a presentation to the aviation body last year, and the country is reportedly also working with MOSIP on the overall system.

13k to be hired for ID renewal

The  enrollment campaign was delayed, at least in part, by a lack of funding to adequately staff it, but that impasse appears to have been resolved. As part of measures taken by the government to ensure that the renewal and mass enrollment drive unfolds successfully, 13,000 personnel are being recruited, as reported by Pulse Uganda.

Gen Muhoozi is quoted as explaining that the personnel, for which the recruitment drive was launched in February, will be dispatched to all of the country’s 10,717 parishes.

The recruits will be assigned to various tasks including handling biometric registration kits, overseeing machines that will be used to print cards, as well as verifying data entered into the system after enrollment.

The government has assured that everything is being done to ensure the renewal and mass enrollment exercises are not only inclusive but also stress-free for citizens.

In the meantime, observers say the importance of the ID renewal and mass enrollment project cannot be overemphasized as it is crucial for updating the voter’s register ahead of general elections in the country in 2026.

Article Topics

Africa  |  biometric enrollment  |  biometrics  |  face biometrics  |  iris biometrics  |  national ID  |  National Identification and Registration Authority of Uganda (NIRA)  |  Uganda