Uganda’s National ID Legislation & its compliance with International Human Rights obligations
Published: 28/Fév/2022
Source: Unwanted Witness (Kampala)
The aim of this legal opinion is to analyze a recent legal measure adopted by the government of Uganda whose main purpose was to harmonize and consolidate the law on registrations of persons and to provide for a registration of individuals, in terms of its compliance with the international human rights obligations acquired by Uganda. This paper will revise the legal dispositions of both the Registrations of Persons Act and the Statutory Instruments – by means of which the Act is implemented – and determine if they fulfill the international standards set forth in the International Covenant for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and other international treaties. In addition, this legal research will present a formal proposal to the government of Uganda, specifically to the Parliament and the National Identification & Registration Authority, which looks to amend a set of sections of the aforementioned legislation, in order to assure that the national digital ID system (Ndaga Muntu) becomes a free and inclusive mechanisms for all Ugandan population.
In order to do so, this paper will implement the following structure: (i) the first chapter will start by giving a general contextualization of the national digital ID system in Uganda and will also include a brief summary of the previous research studies that have been carried out on this subject; (ii) the second chapter will continue by giving a general overview of the main criticisms originated in the law governing the Ndaga Muntu; (iii) the third chapter will provide a legal analysis on the legislation regulating the Ndaga Muntu and its compliance with the international human rights obligations on economic, social and cultural rights and the right to privacy and data protection and (v) the fourth and final chapter will present a proposal to amend the legislation to guarantee that all people living in Uganda can access, in an inclusive, safety and easy way, the national digital ID system.
Download: https://www.unwantedwitness.org/download/Legal-Analysis-of-Ugandas-National-ID-Legislation.pdf