government 7 September 2026 Daily Monitor (Uganda)
NIRA's Staffing Crisis Leaves 5.4 Million National IDs Uncollected
The National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) is struggling with a significant staffing shortage, leading to a backlog of 5.4 million uncollected national identification cards. Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/nira-faces-staffing-crisis-as-5-4-million-ids-await-collection-5587332
The National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) is facing a severe staffing crisis, which has resulted in a backlog of approximately 5.4 million uncollected national identification cards. As of September 7, 2026, NIRA had printed 15.4 million new IDs, but only 10 million have been issued to citizens.
Executive Director Rosemary Kisembo revealed to Parliament’s Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE) that the approved staffing structure for NIRA allows for 571 employees, yet only 418 are currently employed, creating a deficit of 153 positions. This shortage exacerbates the workload, particularly with an estimated 10.9 million Ugandans still unregistered and about 6 million yet to renew their IDs.
To cope with the overwhelming demand, NIRA has resorted to hiring around 3,600 temporary staff on three-month contracts, with a daily allowance of Shs40,000. However, this temporary measure means the authority will revert to its limited permanent staff once these contracts expire.
Kisembo has urged the government to increase NIRA’s authorized staffing to 998 positions and extend the duration of temporary staff contracts to at least 18 months to help clear the substantial backlog. Parliamentarians also raised concerns about the functionality of the new national IDs, noting that some older cards are proving more useful for accessing services like banking and telecommunications, despite the transition to new identification.
Kisembo explained that the full functionality of the new cards is dependent on partner institutions integrating their systems with NIRA’s new identification platform. While NIRA introduced a system for information exchange in March 2026 and notified 109 partners, the onboarding process for system integration varies among these entities.
This situation delays citizens’ access to essential services that require updated identification, highlighting the urgent need for NIRA to address its staffing and operational challenges. The delays are particularly concerning given the critical role the National ID plays in accessing various services across the country.