The National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) has revealed that more than 450,000 people in Uganda’s national ID register have identical full names and the same date of birth.
This revelation, made by NIRA Executive Director Rosemary Kisembo during a stakeholders’ meeting at the Uganda Law Society House in Kampala, has raised fresh concerns about the effectiveness and security of the country’s identity management system.
“In our system, over 450,000 individuals share the same three names and date of birth,” Kisembo said.
This comes at a time when NIRA is carrying out a mass enrollment and ID renewal exercise across the country. The campaign is part of preparations for the 2026 general elections and aims to update expired IDs, fix errors, and ensure all eligible citizens are registered.
However, some legal experts and privacy advocates are worried about how personal information—especially sensitive biometric data like fingerprints, facial scans, and iris images—is being handled.
Advocate Apollo Muhindo, one of the participants, warned that this data is deeply personal and needs stronger protections. “We are dealing with information that affects people’s rights, dignity, and safety. This is not just a technical issue,” he said.
In response, Kisembo defended the use of biometrics, saying they are key to preventing identity fraud and duplication—especially in cases where many people share similar personal details.
“You can’t rely on names alone in a country where hundreds of thousands share them,” she said. “Biometric data is the only way to uniquely identify someone.”
She explained that while personal details like names or dates of birth can be corrected if mistakes are found, biometric data is what NIRA depends on to ensure each person has only one identity.
So far, NIRA has registered 27.8 million Ugandans in the national database, but only 17 million have received their national ID cards. The current registration drive, taking place in all parishes, is meant to close this gap and improve the accuracy of the voter register ahead of the 2026 elections.
Kisembo also assured the public that NIRA is working closely with the Personal Data Protection Office to review and strengthen privacy and data protection practices.
