National Identity Card and Citizen Inclusion in Uganda

The paper argues that the claimed correlation between national identity cards and efficient service delivery is questionable in Uganda. In addition to claims of enhanced efficiency, technology also serves as an instrument of governmentality, increasing the state’s power to control individuals and resources. The paper draws on the global rise of digital identification systems, which is causing interesting and uneven transformations in government identification systems, including in Uganda. Some of the most dominant discourses about digitalisation explain its expansion by claiming that it allows more people to obtain legal proof of identity and enhances the inclusivity of citizens in development programs. Additionally, there are claims that it will help the government improve the delivery of public services and humanitarian assistance through various agencies. However, digital identification technologies, including biometric IDs with features like fingerprints, iris scans, and facial recognition, are instrumental in making citizens visible to the state in new ways, facilitating security and surveillance, and enhancing the state’s ability to control its citizens. The paper investigates such digital transformation in this context by using contemporary Uganda as a case study, drawing on qualitative interviews with key actors, mainly citizens located at the interface with local offices of national ID registration bureaucracies. It analyses contradictions in the mixed logics of the state associated with the introduction of new ID technologies and their implications regarding service delivery. This raises a question: How does the new national ID system affect the proclaimed efficiency of service delivery?