Distribution of National IDs starts on Monday.

Effective today, Monday 15 July, the government of Uganda in conjunction with the Ministry of Internal affairs will start the distribution of the long awaited National Identity cards to over 30,000 Ugandans.


The Ministry says the exercise is to serve as a pilot before it is rolled out to the rest of the Country. 

A copy of the National ID.

Kampala in Central, Buyende in eastern Uganda, Kasese in western Uganda, and Lira in the north will be the first beneficiaries of the distribution of the IDs.

“The distribution of these cards will therefore start in Kampala, on Monday, 15 July, 2013 and subsequently, to other pilot districts. The pilot scheme will pave way for the eventual national wide identity cards issuance to all citizens aged 16years old and above, by January, 2016,” read the letter written by the director citizenship and immigration control Geoffrey Sasagah Winzira to parliament‘s internal affairs committee.

“In Kampala the exercise will start with Kololo parish, they will call out Ugandans aged between 16 years and above and they will be issued with the Identity cards. The exercise will be done by the directorate of citizenship and immigration control together with local leaders,” Benny Namugwanya Bugembe, the chairperson of the the parliament’s committee on defense and internal affairs said.  

According to the program for the exercise, cards will be issued starting with four villages in Kololo parish, followed by Kamwokya 1 and 11, Mengo Kisenyi, Bukesa among other Kampala suburbs.

In the program the director citizenship and immigration control Wanzira explained that members of the public, who will come in to receive the IDs, will be verified to ensure that the real owners only receive the IDs.

Meanwhile the ministry which was given Shs.19.13 billion for the National Identity cards project last financial year out of the Shs.25b is seeking for Shs.28b to fully implement the project in the new financial 2013/2014.