Speaker Among Urges NIRA to Consider Rural Residents Without Phones in Digital ID Registration

Parliament Speaker Anita Annet Among has called on the National Identification Registration Authority (NIRA) to develop inclusive solutions for rural citizens lacking mobile phones during the ongoing digital National ID registration exercise. The Speaker raised these concerns while renewing her own ID at her Nakasero residence in Kampala.  

While commending NIRA's digitised registration system, Among highlighted its potential exclusion of villagers without smartphones to receive verification codes. "This computer-based digital process is efficient but may marginalise our people in villages who don't own phones," she cautioned.  

In response, NIRA Public Relations Officer Peter Okwalinga clarified alternative options:  
Allowing applicants to use relatives' phone numbers for code verification, providing paper-based forms for those unable to navigate digital platforms, maintaining manual registration channels alongside digital systems  

The Speaker's intervention comes as Uganda accelerates its shift to biometric digital IDs, with NIRA assuring that no citizen will be denied services due to technological limitations. Authorities emphasise the new system's enhanced security features while pledging to accommodate all demographics.