By Robert Segawa
The National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) has officially written to the Uganda Police Force and the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), urging them to investigate and shut down a fake website that has conned Ugandans out of millions of shillings through fraudulent national ID applications.
According to NIRA, the scammers created a counterfeit website mimicking the official NIRA portal, complete with the national emblem and images of the President and First Lady, copied directly from the legitimate NIRA site.
Claire Olama, the NIRA Registration Officer for Buikwe District, said that the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) and UCC have already begun investigating the matter and are working to close the fraudulent website and arrest those behind it.
Olama clarified that NIRA’s only official website is www.nira.go.ug. The fake platform, operating under the name Ug Finder, has been misleading citizens into paying as much as UGX 300,000 for so-called “express services.”
She emphasized that all national ID registration and mass enrollment services are free of charge, and warned the public not to fall victim to online scams or individuals claiming to fast-track ID applications for money.
Olama further revealed that the government, through the Ministry of Internal Affairs, has decided to extend the ongoing mass enrollment and ID validation exercise. The extension follows an influx of late applicants overwhelming registration centers across the country. Details of the new schedule will be communicated soon.
