New National ID System Faces Questions Over Digital Verification

What the report says

Parliament has raised new concerns over Uganda’s rollout of national identity cards, with Aswa County MP Patrick Okello saying some cardholders are still unable to use the documents for services that rely on QR-code verification. According to Watchdog Uganda, the issue came up during a plenary sitting chaired by Speaker Jacob Marksons Oboth on Thursday, 20 August 2026.

Okello told MPs that people have reportedly been blocked from banking, buying new SIM cards and replacing SIMs because the QR codes on the new IDs are not being read by electronic systems. He asked the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) to explain why the cards were still failing to authenticate users and to give a clear timeline for full operation.

The report says Okello pointed to NIRA’s earlier public statement on 9 February 2026, when the authority acknowledged that QR-code functionality had not yet been integrated into its digital system and said the issue would be fixed by 31 March 2026. He questioned why the problem appeared to be continuing beyond that point and also objected to a Shs5,000 fee for a NIRA letter used when a card cannot be verified electronically.

Government Chief Whip Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng said the concern had been noted and that the Minister of Internal Affairs would respond. In related remarks, Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja said a coming mass registration and issuance drive aims to reduce the number of unregistered Ugandans and improve delivery of IDs, while also expanding NIRA’s staffing and parish-level support.