Government Suspends Renewal and Late Registration Fees for National IDs

#IvanKaahwaReports

The government has waived the renewal fees and late registration charges for acquiring a national ID, effective June 1, 2024, when the mass enrollment commences.

The fees for changing particulars on the National Identity Card have been increased to 300,000/- to discourage people from unnecessarily changing their details.

The Government of Uganda announced this increase, raising the charges from 50,000/= to 300,000/=, excluding cases of adopting a spouse’s name, dropping a name due to divorce, and other circumstances including DNA analysis.

The Minister for ICT and National Guidance stated that citizens often present cases to fraudulently acquire services without serious reasons. The increment targets those who want to amend their particulars unnecessarily.

The renewal fee of 50,000/= and the late registration charge of 40,000/= have been waived, making the application process free of charge. Services for IDs will also be decentralized under the new arrangement.

These changes will come into effect after the commencement of mass registration and enrollment of National Identity Cards. NIRA is finalizing the procurement of necessary kits and tools to start the exercise effective June 1, 2024.

While the current National Identity Card centers on fingerprint technology, the new national ID will have enhanced security features, including the ability to use facial recognition and iris scanning. The minister stated that this trend is intended to be inclusive, ensuring that data of Persons Living with Disabilities is also captured.

This registration exercise is linked to the national electoral process to extract a voter’s register, which will be displayed early next year, around January. In the long run, the government plans to introduce e-cards to serve different purposes, reducing the need to carry multiple documents.

#IvanKaahwaReports