Published on 07/08/2025
At least 11 people have been arrested for involvement in corruption related offenses during the ongoing National ID registration and renewal exercise, in which over nine million have benefited from the exercise in four months, Minister of State for Internal Affairs, Hon. David Muhoozi, has revealed.
Presenting a statement on: the alleged extortion in the National ID registration and renewal process to Parliament on Tuesday, 5 August 2025, Minister Muhoozi said the arrested suspects include temporary registration assistants, four staff members of the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA), and brokers who impersonated NIRA officials to extort money from the public.
“NIRA has noted with concern the increasing complaints on extortion, corruption and bribery at service centers perpetuated by imposters, NIRA registration assistants and other cadres,” said Muhoozi.
The minister outlined several corrupt practices being reported at registration centres, including sale of free registration forms, soliciting bribes to skip queues, and extorting money at various stages of the registration process.
Districts most affected by malpractices include Mubende, Mityana, Mukono, Wakiso, Busia, Kyotera and Abim. In Mubende District alone, four temporary registration assistants were arrested, remanded, and had their contracts terminated.
In Kyotera district, Muhoozi cited a case involving a NIRA staff member, a businesswoman and a medical worker suspected of colluding to defraud members of the public.
The minister also condemned the actions of brokers and middlemen who impersonate NIRA employees and collect bribes from unsuspecting citizens. He further noted that in some cases, even local leaders were implicated in soliciting money under false pretenses.
To mitigate these practices government has issued free online registration forms, opened a pre-registration portal to ease congestion at centres, and deployed toll-free hotlines and email contacts for public reporting. NIRA has also distributed uniforms and ID cards to help citizens identify its legitimate staff.
“This is to reiterate that the process of enrolment and renewal of National IDs is free of charge. We urge all Ugandans to stay alert, resist corruption, and report any suspicious activity,” Muhoozi emphasized.
He reported that since the start of the exercise in May, more than 9.1 million people have already applied for either registration or renewal of their National IDs.
Members of Parliament raised concerns about challenges facing the exercise, particularly in remote and island communities.
Kalangala District Woman MP, Hon. Helen Nakimuli, noted that extortion in island communities is fueled by logistical constraints.
“When it comes to extortion it comes in a way that people have to travel from one island to another to access registration services. The officers say they have not been given facilitation to move from one island to the other,” she said.
Similarly, Amuru District Woman MP, Hon. Lucy Akello, said long distances from registration centres to residences were creating opportunities for bribery.
“I was in Okidi, Atiak sub-county, and I got a request that I should help them hire a generator so that NIRA staff can go further closer to people to register people especially the elderly. They are poorly facilitated,” Hon. Akello said.
