KAMPALA, Uganda — Uganda’s National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) will begin a nationwide mass enrollment and renewal exercise for national identity cards on May 27, following a pilot phase that began earlier this month.
NIRA teams will be deployed at the parish level in all 146 districts across Uganda to facilitate the renewal of expired IDs and the registration of previously unregistered citizens. Officials describe it as the largest identification campaign since the initial mass registration in 2014.
The pilot phase, running from May 2 to May 26, started with the renewal of IDs for the NIRA Board of Directors and top officials from the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Gen. David Muhoozi, the Minister of State for Internal Affairs, at the launch called the exercise a key step in strengthening identity and access to services in Uganda.
“This pilot marks the beginning of one of the most important citizen exercises in our country’s recent history. It is not just about renewing cards; it’s about reaffirming identity, inclusion, and access to government services,” Muhoozi said.
The mass enrollment and renewal follows Cabinet’s 2022 approval to renew 15.8 million ID cards expiring by June 2025 and to register 17.2 million previously unregistered Ugandans.
To support the rollout, NIRA partnered with Tahaluf Al Emarat Technical Solutions, which provided infrastructure including 5,665 biometric registration kits distributed nationwide and two laser card printers with a daily capacity of 100,000 cards. The partnership also delivered modern data center hardware and a new National Security Information System built on MOSIP, which enables iris biometric capture and integrates birth and death registration for the first time.
“For the first time, citizens will be able to pre-register online, and our new system ensures tighter data security, improved service delivery, and stronger integration with other government systems,” Muhoozi explained.
During the mass exercise, renewal and new registration services will be free. However, replacement of lost cards will cost 50,000 Ugandan shillings, and changes to personal details will cost 200,000 Ugandan shillings. These fee-based services will be handled at district offices only.
“We urge all Ugandans to take advantage of this opportunity. Come prepared with the right documents and support the process. This is not just an administrative exercise, but a national duty,” Muhoozi emphasized.
Applicants are advised to visit www.nira.go.ug for full requirements, including necessary documents for children, adults, and those replacing lost IDs. Cards will be issued within four weeks of successful application during the initial phase.
