At least 11 people have been arrested in connection with corruption-related offenses during the ongoing National ID registration and renewal exercise, which has so far benefited over 9.1 million Ugandans in just four months, the Minister of State for Internal Affairs, Hon. David Muhoozi, has revealed.
Presenting a statement to Parliament on Tuesday, 5 August 2025, Minister Muhoozi said the suspects include four staff members of the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA), temporary registration assistants, and brokers who posed as NIRA officials to extort money from the public.
“NIRA has noted with concern the increasing complaints of extortion, corruption, and bribery at service centres, often perpetrated by imposters and registration staff,” he said.
According to Muhoozi, the corrupt practices reported include the sale of free registration forms, soliciting bribes to skip queues, and demanding payments during different stages of the registration process.
He cited several districts as hotspots for such malpractices, including Mubende, Mityana, Mukono, Wakiso, Busia, Kyotera, and Abim.
In Mubende, four registration assistants were arrested, remanded, and had their contracts terminated.
In Kyotera, a NIRA staff member, a businesswoman, and a medical worker were implicated in a case of collusion to defraud citizens.
The minister also condemned the involvement of local brokers and middlemen, some of whom impersonate NIRA officials to solicit bribes, with reports even implicating local leaders in the schemes.
In response, the government has taken several measures to combat these issues, including:
Issuing free online registration forms;
Launching a pre-registration portal to reduce congestion at centres;
Providing toll-free hotlines and email contacts for public reporting;
Distributing uniforms and ID cards to help the public identify legitimate NIRA staff.
“The enrolment and renewal of National IDs is entirely free of charge. We urge all Ugandans to stay vigilant, resist corruption, and report any suspicious activity,” Muhoozi emphasized.
Despite the progress made since the exercise began in May, Members of Parliament raised concerns over challenges in remote and island communities.
Kalangala District Woman MP, Hon. Helen Nakimuli, said logistical barriers on islands are worsening the extortion problem, as officers lack facilitation to move between locations.
Similarly, Amuru District Woman MP, Hon. Lucy Akello, noted that long distances to registration centres are creating opportunities for bribery, especially for vulnerable groups like the elderly.
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