NIRA launches mass ID issuance drive in Teso to clear backlog

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The National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) has rolled out a fresh mass issuance exercise in the Teso sub-region, aiming to tackle a growing backlog of uncollected national identity cards and bring services closer to the public.

The move follows revelations made on April 1, 2026, when NIRA executive director Rosemary Kisembo appeared before Parliament’s Defence and Internal Affairs Committee. She told legislators that the authority is grappling with more than nine million unclaimed IDs nationwide.

Kisembo explained that although 12 million cards had been printed and 10.5 million distributed to districts, only about three million had been picked up by their rightful owners.

She attributed the shortfall to severe staffing constraints and limited funding, noting that just 418 staff are responsible for distributing millions of cards, equivalent to one officer serving about 100,000 citizens. Funding for the mass issuance exercise reportedly ran out in February.

In response, NIRA has embarked on a nationwide roadshow targeting regions including West Nile, Western, Eastern and Northern Uganda.

Peter Okwalinga, the NIRA communications officer addressing the press in Soroti city on Tuesday as his colleague Michael Muganga looks on.

“This outreach does not replace our existing offices but complements them by bringing services closer to the people,” said NIRA communications officer Peter Okwalinga.

The Teso leg of the campaign will be officially launched on April 23, 2926, at Arapai cattle market in Soroti city. According to Okwalinga, the authority will deploy additional personnel across subcounties in Soroti city and Soroti district to serve residents over a seven-day period before moving to other districts.

“We shall be in the subcounties with extra manpower to ensure we serve as many people as possible within the seven days,” he said.

NIRA is targeting to issue at least 50,000 national identity cards in Soroti city and Soroti district.

Delays in collecting IDs risk locking millions of Ugandans out of essential services such as banking, voting and access to social protection programmes.

Meanwhile, NIRA public relations officer Michael Muganga has urged recipients to safeguard their cards, noting that replacing a lost ID attracts a fee of sh50,000.

The authority hopes the intensified outreach will not only reduce the backlog but also boost public awareness about the availability of IDs and other registration services.