Why NIRA is withholding thousands of National ID cards

NIRA Executive Director Rosemary Kisembo. NIRA says New National IDs are ready for collection

KAMPALA, Uganda — The National Identification and Registration Authority is holding thousands of printed national identity cards in its warehouses, delaying issuance to Ugandans who applied months ago. The agency said the cards are being withheld to prepare for a nationwide “phased approach” and “large-scale rollout.”

Despite growing public frustration over delayed collection, National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) officials said the move is necessary to organize the mass distribution effort.

“We are printing a number of National ID cards, and they are at our warehouses,” said Peter Okwalinga, NIRA’s communications and media officer. “What we are doing now is dispatching them to district offices. After the official launch, these offices will issue cards to their rightful owners.”

The agency is currently processing only urgent or special cases. Okwalinga added that once ready, NIRA plans to “issue cards in bulk across all districts,” similar to the earlier mass enrollment campaign. No specific date has been set for the official mass launch.

The current NIRA campaign aims to serve 33 million Ugandans, including 15.8 million renewals and 17.2 million new applicants.

Okwalinga maintained that the long queues at registration centers reflect public enthusiasm, not inefficiency. “During the mass enrollment, people turned up in large numbers. Now, they are equally eager to collect their IDs,” he said, adding that the agency has the capacity to issue the cards once the rollout begins.

Many citizens reported making multiple trips to NIRA offices only to be turned away, saying they were not informed that card releases would be dependent on an official launch.

Despite the delays in new card issuance, NIRA reported progress in renewals.

“We are almost hitting 100 percent of our target for renewals,” Okwalinga said. He attributed this success to a strategy of taking services closer to the people, including setting up registration services in markets, hospitals, churches and mosques.

NIRA Executive Director Rose Kisembo confirmed the authority is also registering Ugandans abroad, with teams dispatched to Europe, Asia, China and several African countries to assist citizens