By Mark Kawalya
Uganda is incorporating iris biometrics into its new national digital ID cards, not only as an enhanced security feature but also to accommodate individuals who cannot provide matchable fingerprints. Rosemary Kisembo, Executive Director of the National Identification and Registration Authority of Uganda (NIRA), shared this information during a recent parliamentary briefing. She was addressing the Committee on Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises, which had questions regarding NIRA’s performance as outlined in the 2022/2023 Auditor General’s report, according to the Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC).
Earlier this year, NIRA announced its plan to integrate iris biometrics into the national ID cards, developed in collaboration with Veridos. Kisembo explained that iris and facial biometrics will be collected from individuals who cannot provide recognizable fingerprints due to factors like aging, injuries, permanent disabilities, or other physical conditions. This measure addresses the issue of verification machines failing to recognize some people’s fingerprints, with around one million fingerprint records in the registry currently unrecognizable.
During the briefing, lawmakers also questioned why only about half of the projected 15 billion Ugandan shillings (US$4 million) in non-tax revenue from NIRA for the 2022/2023 fiscal year was collected. Kisembo attributed this shortfall to delays in launching the mass registration and renewal process for national IDs, which was expected to generate UGX7.9 billion ($2.1 million). The plan to start mass enrollment in June was postponed, and the exact commencement date remains uncertain.
“We are three months behind schedule for mass enrollment, which was supposed to start on June 1. We now hope to begin by late July or early August. Delays were primarily due to funding issues,” Kisembo informed the lawmakers. In February, lawmakers had already noted that a lack of funding might delay the project.
Other concerns raised by the Committee included unclear procurement processes for equipment needed for alien registration, delays in issuing national ID cards, fraud in ID acquisition leading to foreigners obtaining Ugandan passports, and the poor quality of materials used for printing ID cards.
Kisembo also highlighted that NIRA is still housed in a facility owned by the Ministry of Defence and has been requesting its own offices for the past four years. Despite these requests being marked as an “unfunded priority” each year, the situation remains unchanged, according to New Vision.
