Uganda to receive 5,665 biometric kits for mass ID enrollment

Uganda will receive a total of 4,668 biometric kits between November 24 and December 17 for a mass ID registration and renewal campaign, after which the exercise is expected to begin. The last batch of 997 kits are scheduled to arrive in the country on January 12, 2025, bringing the total number of kits purchased to 5,665.

This is according to a timeline of activities contained in a press statement issued October 15 by the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA).

The commencement of the activity has been postponed a number of times due to technical issues and financial constraints.

The ID authority says when the exercise kicks off, it will enroll 17.2 million new persons for national ID, and renew 15.8 million ID cards, 3.4 million of which are set to expire between August 2024 and January 2025.

Per the NIRA statement, the mass enrollment and renewal exercise is in line with an August 2022 Cabinet decision which approved the project with a proposed budget of 666.85 billion Ugandan Shilling (US$181 million). In December last year, Parliament appropriated 300 billion UGX (US$81 million) from the proposed lumpsum.

Some of the funding was used to acquire a new National Information Security System (NSIS) which includes software, hardware, operation systems and supporting technologies like equipment for a new Data Center and ID card printing machines.

NIRA says it signed a contract with its technology partner and Saudi IT company Tahaluf in July for the ID project.

NIRA’s activities between now and the end of the year also include the upgrade and testing of card printing equipment, installation and configuration of the new data center, installation and configuration of the PKI and hardware security modules and the Automated Biometric Identification System, and training of NIRA team on use of new card printing equipment, among other activities.

Meanwhile, as one of the ways of mitigating delays to the start of the mass ID enrollment, NIRA says it has launched a 53-day ID enrollment drive to fulfil a road map requirement of the country’s Electoral Commission which warrants that the list of eligible voters from the National Identification Register be submitted by November 30.

In this regard, NIRA launched an ID registration drive on September 27, which will run till November 23 in some parts of the country.

Per a report by NTV, the enrollment exercise started at the Kitante Hill School in the Kampala. NIRA teams have been on the field enrolling eligible persons in schools, places of worship and markets. Registrants must be 16 years of age and above.

“All Ugandans will be reached, and they’ll be served,” said Kampala District Registration Officer, God Kakyegyema, who noted that all children being registered in schools have never been registered for the national ID program before.

NIRA has called on citizens to register during this period, urging them not to make mistakes when filling the registration form and to provide accurate information in order to “maintain the integrity of the National Identification Register.”

Article Topics

Africa  |  biometric enrollment  |  biometric identification  |  biometrics  |  digital identity  |  national ID  |  National Identification and Registration Authority of Uganda (NIRA)  |  Uganda