MC No. 86 of 2022 – Initiative for Social and Economic Rights (ISER), Unwanted Witness (UW), and the Health Equity and Policy Initiative (HEAPI) v. Attorney General and the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA)

On 25th April 2022, three civil society organisations – the Initiative for Social and Economic Rights (ISER), Unwanted Witness (UW), and the Health Equity and Policy Initiative (HEAPI)—filed a case on behalf of affected persons before the High Court of Uganda in Kampala. The applicants allege that the national digital ID in Uganda, commonly known as Ndaga Muntu, has become an exclusionary barrier that violates women’s right to health and older persons’ right to social security, and that Government of Uganda has violated its obligations under the Ugandan Constitution, national legislation, and international human rights law to respect, protect, and fulfil the right to health and the right to social security.

• FAQs
• Notice of Motion; Filed April 13, 2022
• Applicants’ Affidavits; Filed April 13, 2022
• Experts’ Affidavits; Filed April-May 2022 – Statements from three expert witnesses who have provided in-depth research and comparative evidence for the court’s consideration. The three expert witnesses are: Dr. Tom Fisher (Privacy International), Professor Reetika Khera (IIT Delhi), and Diana Gichengo (Advocate of the High Court of Kenya).
  • • Diana Gichengo
    • Thomas Fisher
    • Reetika Khera
• Government Affidavits in Response; Filed August-October 2022 – Statements from various officials within the National Identification and Registration Authority (including the Director and several Registration Officers), from the Ministry for Gender, Labour and Social Development, and from an external consultant on digital ID.
• Application of Professor Philip Alston (New York University School of Law) to intervene as amicus curiae; Filed 19 September 2022 – Submission by “friend of the court’ Professor Philip Alston, providing expert analysis of human rights issues, to assist the court in interpreting international human rights law on accessibility of the rights to social security and health, as well as equality and non-discrimination.
• Application of the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA), Article 19, and Access Now to intervene as amicus curiae; Filed 1 December 2022
• Written Submissions of the Applicants to court – Filed 4 June 2023 and 13 October 2023
  • • Applicants’ written submissions
    • Rejoinder submissions
• Government response; Filed 30 August 2023 – The government’s reply to the Applicants’ written submissions.

Court Ruling; On 10th June 2025, the High Court of Uganda at Kampala delivered its ruling in Miscellaneous Cause No. 0086 of 2022 filed by Initiative for Social and Economic Rights (ISER) and others. The case challenged the mandatory use of the digital National ID to access vital public services, arguing that the requirement excluded vulnerable groups such as older persons and women.

ISER Press Statement following Court ruling; A Press Statement issued following the Court ruling highlighting the High Court’s failure to recognize the urgent need for legal reform toward an inclusive national digital ID system.