The national identification cards, according to President Yoweri Museveni, will be digitised and is expected to bear the holders’ photo, names, biometric details including fingerprints.

proper identification will help […] reduce fraud in the banking sector as well as electoral malpractices

The registration exercise was scheduled to begin on Monday and will last for four months. The identification cards will be issued after the registration process.

Museveni said: “It is necessary for every Ugandan to be [provided] with a computerised national identity card. All the details of the holder will be stored in a central computer somewhere with a wide memory.”

He said with the issuance of national identity cards there will no longer be vote rigging.

He said that unlike in the past where one could fraudulently vote more than once, the new computerised system can easily identify such culprits.

Museveni also said “proper identification will help authorities apprehend suspects faster, drive down crime, reduce fraud in the banking sector as well as electoral malpractices.”

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Apart from being used for identification in Uganda the cards will also facilitate easy movement of Ugandans in east African countries.

Kenyans and Tanzanians have for long been furnished with national identity cards.