The National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) is grappling with a serious service-delivery crisis after revealing that approximately 5.4 million newly printed national identity cards remain uncollected.

Executive Director Rosemary Kisembo disclosed the figures on Monday, 7 September 2026, while appearing before Parliament’s Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE).

According to Kisembo, NIRA has printed about 15.4 million new identity cards for both renewals and first-time applicants, but only around 10 million have been issued. This leaves roughly 5.4 million cards still in the authority’s custody.

She attributed the backlog largely to inadequate staffing following the expiry of a large temporary workforce that supported the mass enrolment and renewal exercise launched on 27 May 2025. That temporary team once numbered between 9,800 and 12,000 personnel, though high attrition caused fluctuations.

“The authority’s existing workforce is insufficient for the scale of its statutory responsibilities,” Kisembo told lawmakers. “The workload vis-à-vis the staffing structure does not match.”

NIRA currently has an approved establishment of 571 positions, of which only 418 are filled. Of those, just 201 staff are directly involved in client-facing services.

The authority is now seeking Government approval to increase its permanent establishment from 571 to 998 positions and to engage at least 2,700 temporary workers for 18 months. These additional staff would support the renewal of about six million identity cards, registration of an estimated 10.9 million people still missing from the national register, processing of changes in personal particulars, and registration of births and deaths.

Even with the previous temporary support, Kisembo estimated it would take about nine months to clear the outstanding cards if personnel focused exclusively on distribution.

The backlog has raised concerns about access to essential services. The national ID has become the primary document required for banking, mobile money registration, driving permits, civil registration and many other formal transactions.

MPs on the committee also questioned why some of the new IDs were reportedly not being accepted by banks and telecom companies. Kisembo’s appearance was part of responses to issues raised in the Auditor General’s 2025 report.

NIRA has urged Ugandans who registered or renewed their cards to visit their respective district offices to collect them, warning that delays could disrupt access to critical services that now depend on a valid national identity card.