Uganda: PRESS STATEMENT Civil Society sues Government over Ndaga Muntu National ID: Mandatory Digital ID Threatens Lives!
Published: 25/Apr/2022
Source: Initiative for Social and Economic Rights (ISER), Unwanted Witness (UW), and the Health Equity and Policy Initiative (HEAPI)
A coalition of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) have sued Government over alleged violations of human rights. CSOs claim that the mandatory nature of the national digital ID system in Uganda, Ndaga Muntu, has excluded poor and marginalized groups from access to fundamental social rights on a large scale and in a discriminatory fashion. They ask the Ugandan High Court to order Government to allow alternative forms of identification to access life-saving social rights.
(Kampala, 25th April 2022) TODAY, civil society organisations led by the Initiative for Social and Economic Rights (ISER), Unwanted Witness (UW), and the Health Equity and Policy Initiative (HEAPI) have taken Government of Uganda to court. They claim that the mandatory reliance on the National Digital Identification system (commonly known as the Ndaga Muntu system) has excluded older persons from access to their Social Assistance Grants for Empowerment (SAGE) benefits and women from access to public health services and that this violates their human rights to social security and health. Through litigation before the High Court, plaintiffs aim to compel the Government to allow alternative forms of identification to access these life-saving human rights.
Read further: https://chrgj.org/2022/04/25/civil-society-sues-government-over-ndaga-muntu-national-id-mandatory-digital-id-threatens-lives/
For a summary of the case and answers to frequently asked questions, see:
https://www.iser-uganda.org/images/downloads/Digital_ID_Litigation_FAQs.pdf