NIRA Sits on 5.4 Million Uncollected IDs Amid Crippling Staff and Funding Crisis

The National Identification and Registration Authority is holding 5.4 million printed national identity cards that Ugandans have yet to collect, as the agency battles a severe staffing shortage, a Shs256.8 billion funding gap and a leadership vacuum following the expiry of its executive director's contract.

Appearing before the Parliamentary Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises — COSASE — on Monday, NIRA Executive Director Rosemary Kisembo told lawmakers the institution simply does not have enough people to deliver the cards it has already produced. "The authority's existing workforce is insufficient for the scale of its statutory responsibilities," she said. "The workload vis-à-vis the staffing structure does not match."

Of the approximately 15.4 million identity cards printed under NIRA's mass enrolment and renewal exercise — launched on May 27, 2025, at a projected cost of Shs666.85 billion — only about 10 million have been successfully issued and collected. The remaining 5.4 million sit uncollected in the authority's custody.

NIRA currently has 418 filled positions out of an approved establishment of 571, leaving a 26 percent vacancy rate across the institution. Only 201 staff are directly client-facing — responsible for physically issuing cards to citizens — with each handling an average of 235 citizens per day. Internal Audit is operating at a 67 percent staffing deficit.

The problem is compounded by a funding shortfall. Of the Shs666.85 billion budgeted for the three-year mass exercise, only Shs410.05 billion was released by the Treasury — a gap of Shs256.8 billion. Even the funds that were received were not fully utilised, with Shs15.24 billion left unspent in the 2024/2025 financial year, according to the Auditor General's report.

The temporary workforce that drove the mass exercise has wound down further, worsening the crisis. Of 13,787 temporary staff planned for deployment, only 9,809 were ever deployed — a shortfall of nearly 4,000 from the outset. With those contracts now expired, NIRA's much smaller permanent workforce is expected to clear a backlog built for a far larger team.

Citizens across the country have borne the brunt of the crisis. Many have arrived at collection points after receiving SMS alerts — only to be told their cards are unavailable, redirected to new locations without adequate notice, or asked to return multiple times before receiving their documents. Corruption allegations have also surfaced at some collection points, though NIRA officials say investigations are hampered because few affected citizens follow up through official channels.

Kisembo's own contract as Executive Director expired in May 2026 and has not been renewed, leaving NIRA without confirmed permanent leadership as it grapples with its most complex operational period to date.

NIRA's mandate has simultaneously expanded. Under 2024 amendments to the Registration of Persons Act, the authority inherited responsibility for marriage registration from the Uganda Registration Services Bureau — including approximately 1.2 million physical records now digitised onto a new system — covering civil, church, customary, Hindu and Muslim marriages.

Beyond uncollected cards, an estimated 10.9 million Ugandans remain entirely unregistered, while approximately six million already on the national register have yet to renew their expiring cards.

COSASE members pressed Kisembo on the authority's plans to clear the backlog and stabilise operations. A formal response from the committee is expected in the coming weeks.

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