Published on 18/08/2025
National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) has begun issuing new national identity cards, with Members of Parliament among the first Ugandans to receive theirs following a mass enrolment exercise at Parliament in June 2025.
The development was revealed by NIRA Executive Director Rosemary Kisembo while appearing before the Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE) on August 15, 2025. She carried with her several MPs’ cards, including that of Kyadondo East MP Muwada Nkunyingi, while others were asked to pick theirs from Room 001 of the Parliamentary building.
Kashari South MP Nathan Itungo was among the first lawmakers to collect his new ID. He thanked NIRA for sparing MPs the burden of long queues by delivering the cards directly to Parliament. “My request to the Executive Director and her team is to clarify where we will collect our IDs from going forward. But otherwise, I thank you very much,” Itungo said.
However, his gratitude sparked a debate among colleagues. MP Nkunyingi dismissed the praise, arguing that many Ugandans who registered earlier are still enduring long delays. “It is not true that we should be thanking NIRA. For us, we are still complaining and demanding because our constituents have not received their IDs,” he said.
Busongora South MP Gideon Thembo also insisted that not all MPs had received their cards, contrary to Itungo’s claim. But Kisembo surprised the Committee by producing Nkunyingi’s new ID, prompting laughter in the room. COSASE chairperson Medard Lubega Sseggona teased him: “Now, Honourable Muwada, do you have reason to say thank you—or again, it’s not in you?”
Nkunyingi, while amused, relented: “On the assumption that it is mine, I will say thank you. But I also pray that all Ugandans, especially those who registered outside Parliament, get their IDs.”
Kisembo assured MPs that distribution would continue over the coming weeks. She also revealed that more than one million IDs have already been printed as part of the ongoing mass enrolment and renewal exercise launched on May 27, 2025. To date, NIRA has renewed 8.8 million expired IDs, registered over one million new applicants, and processed 64,000 first-time IDs for children turning 16.
Alongside the rollout, NIRA has introduced nine enhanced security features on the new IDs to curb forgery and duplication. These include: an embedded ghost image of the holder, a hologram, microprint, a facial recognition system, iris detection, a verification barcode, tactile features for persons with disabilities, and a purple light test similar to that used in verifying banknotes.
“Previously, people could buy IDs from Nasser Road, overwrite photos, and retain the original details. With the new cards, that is no longer possible. For instance, under purple light, a forged ID will immediately fail the test,” Kisembo explained.
She also addressed concerns from Ugandans in the diaspora, clarifying that they only need a confirmation letter from a Ugandan embassy, not from foreign authorities, to process IDs. “Even if a passport has expired, it still validates a person’s Ugandan identity. We are committed to serving citizens wherever they are,” she said.
Despite these assurances, MPs on the Committee raised questions about the logic of issuing IDs with expiry dates, arguing that the practice is costly and unnecessary. COSASE chairperson Sseggona wondered: “Why should an ID expire? Do we create new Ugandans?” Mawokota South MP Yusuf Nsibambi added that expiring IDs are “a waste of taxpayers’ money and time.”
The national ID renewal and upgrade exercise will continue across all 146 districts of Uganda, with NIRA promising a more efficient distribution system and enhanced security against fraud.
