Gov’t releases sh192b for National Identification cards renewal

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The Ministry of finance has released sh192b to kickstart the National Identification renewal project.

Dr Ramathan Ggoobi, the secretary to the treasury and the ministry permanent secretary disclosed the figure on Monday January 29, 2024 at a news conference in Kampala where he announced over sh4trillion released for the third quarter for 2023/2024 financial year.

Flanked by the ministry’s top echelon, Ggoobi said sh144b has been released to purchase tablets that will be used in the National Population Census.

The National Information Registration Authority (NIRA) had failed to commence mass enrolment of 17.2 million persons due to funding gaps, the Authority’s Executive Director, Rosemary Kisembo, told Parliament. 

The Authority also has pending mass renewal of national identification cards targeting 15.8 million persons, given that cards will expire in August 2024.

Kisembo brought the concerns before the attention of legislators on the Committee of Defence and Internal Affairs, in a meeting held on Wednesday, 25 October 2023.

She added that with the absence of a budget approved in 2022 worth sh666.85b to install the National Security Information System (NSIS), the mass enrolment remains pending.

“The project was expected to start in June 2023 as a pilot and full roll-out in August 2023, with procurements and recruitment contracts for registration assistants. However, this has not been done due to absence of funds or a letter of commitment of funds,” Kisembo said.

In August 2023, the Electoral Commission released the electoral road map that requires NIRA to submit the register of citizens to enable the Commission compile, maintain, revise, and update the voters register by September 2024.

The Committee Chairperson, Wilson Kajwengye, tasked NIRA to explain whether it was prepared to handover a credible data source to the Electoral Commission in preparation for the 2026 general elections.

“You have said you were supposed to have rolled out two months ago but have not yet done so. Are you telling us that you are not ready for mass enrolment ahead of the elections?” Kajwenje asked.

Kisembo responded that NIRA was only delayed but expressed optimism about the progress of the project.

“There are some aspects of the project like capacity building that have started. As soon as funding is provided, key aspects like procurement of hardware and integration will begin,” she noted.

She added that NIRA engaged the Ministry of Finance on funding of the project, who stated that they are considering seeking the authority of cabinet to approve supplementary funding of sh370b under domestic borrowing.

Every citizen of Uganda will be required in 2024 to obtain a new national identity card complete with new features.

The new features according to the internal affairs minister Maj Gen Kahinda Otafiire, include artificial intelligence which means computer aided identification of persons as well as DNA.

Internal affairs minister. Maj Gen Kahinda Otafiire. (New Vision/File)

The process of obtaining the new ID will be free of charge. Also, the National Identification Number (NIN) for those who previously obtained a national ID will remain the same. 

Otafiire however said they will introduce express services for those who do not want to go through the trouble of waiting too long.

These, he explained, will be at liberty to apply for a new national ID online at a fee of sh50,000.

The new ID, will also ease interstate travels, with Ugandans not having to fill in any paper work at every border point or airport. 

This development comes at a time when the current national IDs are nearing expiry. 

Government in 2014, embarked on a mass national ID registration exercise to capture biodata of its citizens. National IDs that had a life span of 10 years were issued to the public thereafter. These are expected to expire in 2024.