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Uganda’s National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) is set to embark on a major national ID enrollment and renewal campaign beginning in October 2024. This extensive operation will utilize 5,680 biometric kits equipped with advanced iris scanners to streamline the registration process.
The rollout of the new system is scheduled for mid-October, aligning with the Electoral Commission’s November 30 deadline for updating the voters’ register in preparation for the 2026 general elections. NIRA’s ambitious goal is to register 17.2 million Ugandans who currently lack national IDs and to renew the IDs of 15.8 million citizens whose cards are set to expire.
To manage this large-scale operation, the Ugandan government plans to hire 13,000 personnel who will be deployed across 10,717 parishes nationwide. With millions of National ID cards expiring between August 2024 and December 2025, the government has granted a one-year extension to ensure citizens maintain access to essential services during the transition. This extension, formalized through a statutory amendment, aims to prevent any disruption or disenfranchisement during the shift to the new system.
The biometric kits, enhanced with portable solar kits, additional batteries, and advanced iris scanners, will facilitate the registration process. The initiative will begin with an online pre-registration phase, followed by biometric data capture at the parish level, commencing two to three weeks after the online registration period.
NIRA is also collaborating with 90 institutions, including banks and telecom companies, to ensure seamless real-time access to ID data during and after the registration process.
Currently, it remains unclear which biometrics vendor will be selected for this project. Last year, NIRA had indicated plans to partner with Veridos for the national ID card initiative. However, the contract for producing Uganda’s ID cards has been a point of contention, with Veridos facing competition from Muehlbauer High Tech International, a company previously involved in Uganda’s National Security Information System (NSIS). Muehlbauer is currently embroiled in a controversy over allegations of overcharging and other issues, adding further complexity to the selection process.
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