NIRA IN THE QR STORM! New IDs Fail Verification, Ugandans Blocked From Key Services
The rollout of new national identity cards has come under fresh scrutiny in Parliament, with MPs reporting that failures in the cards’ Quick Response (QR) code verification system are leaving citizens unable to access essential services.
Patrick Okello Onguti, Democratic Party MP for Aswa County, told Parliament during a plenary sitting on Wednesday August 20, 2026 that some holders of the newly issued national identity cards are being turned away when attempting to access banking services, register or replace SIM cards and complete other transactions that require electronic identity verification.
Onguti raised the matter during a plenary sitting chaired by Speaker Jacob Markson Oboth-Oboth, and urged the Government and the ID and Registration Authority (NIRA) to explain why the QR codes embedded on the new cards were reportedly still failing to authenticate users.
“Ugandans are crying out because when seeking banking services, buying new SIM cards from the telecom service providers and SIM card replacements, some of these services that require the QR code, the new IDs’ QR codes are not responding,” Onguti told the House.
He said NIRA had publicly acknowledged on February 9, 2026 that the QR-code functionality had not yet been integrated into its digital operational system and had indicated that the problem would be resolved by March 31.
The legislator questioned why the problem was allegedly persisting months after that deadline.
“I therefore pray and request that the Minister for Internal Affairs and NIRA explain to the country and give a deadline when the national IDs will be operationalised,” he said.
The MP also raised concerns over what he described as an additional Shs5,000 charge for a NIRA letter intended to enable a citizen whose card cannot be electronically verified to have their details integrated into the system.
The claim places the spotlight on a potentially wider challenge. Uganda’s national ID is not merely an identity database. It has become an important gateway to public and private services.
Under the Registration of Persons Act, 2015, NIRA is mandated to create, manage, maintain and operate the National Identification Register, issue national IDs and verify and authenticate information relating to registration and identification of persons.Section 66 of the Act provides for the mandatory use of a national identification number or national identification card for a range of services, including opening bank accounts, insurance, land transactions, pension and social security transactions, consumer credit, taxation, financial services and other prescribed services.
The Registration of Persons Regulations go further by expressly listing SIM-card registration among transactions for which a national identification card, alien identification card or identification number is to be used where identification is required.
That means that inability to verify identity is not simply a technical inconvenience. It can potentially become a barrier to banking, telecommunications, government services and other economic activities.
The law also gives NIRA a central responsibility for maintaining the integrity of the identity system. Section 5 of the Registration of Persons Act requires the Authority to verify and authenticate identification information and to ensure the preservation, protection and security of information and data held in the National Identification Register. Section 69 further provides that a national identification card is prima facie proof of the particulars contained on it.
Government Chief Whip Dr Jane Ruth Aceng acknowledged the concern and said the Government would seek a response from the Minister of Internal Affairs.
NIRA’s statutory mandate includes promoting the use of national identification cards to advance economic, political and social activities.
The Authority is also required to maintain the National Identification Register as an electronic database and continuously update information contained in it.
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