Uganda is moving to replace paper-based identity checks in land transactions with a digital verification system designed to make it harder for fraudsters to impersonate property owners or forge official documents.
The National Information Technology Authority-Uganda (NITA-U) is developing the system around its UGPass platform, linking digital signatures and document authentication to citizens’ National Identification Numbers (NINs). The initiative is intended to provide a more secure way of confirming identities during land sales, transfers and other property transactions.
Julian Rweju, NITA-U’s Director of e-Government Services, said the agency’s wider digital government role includes establishing the infrastructure that allows public institutions to deliver services electronically.
“NITA-U is the government agency responsible for coordinating and driving IT development across the public sector. If a government service is being delivered digitally, we’ve almost certainly been involved in building or supporting the systems behind it,” Rweju said.
The proposed system will use UGHub, a secure government connectivity platform, to allow authorised agencies to verify identity information directly against the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) database.
Instead of relying on photocopies of identity cards, land offices would be able to confirm whether a person’s NIN matches the registered owner’s details. Rweju said this would provide greater confidence that the individual involved in a transaction is the person legally associated with the property.
“From the person’s point of view, they simply provide a number and get served. The office is not relying on a printed card alone; it is confirming the information against the official register,” she said.
UGPass will also enable citizens to authenticate themselves online and apply legally recognised electronic signatures to documents. In the land sector, the technology is expected to connect with the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development’s National Land Information System.
Technical lead James Lutalo said the system could also simplify and translate land documents, potentially helping people understand agreements before signing them.
Privacy safeguards will form part of the system. Lutalo said access to identity information would be restricted, recorded and limited to information required for a specific service.
“It is a reasonable concern, and people should feel free to raise it. Access is not open. An agency cannot simply browse anyone’s data,” he said.
The initiative comes as Uganda continues to expand digital land administration through the National Land Information System, which already incorporates digital integration with other government agencies.
NITA-U plans to demonstrate the UGHub and UGPass integration at the NIRA Expo and Symposium in Kampala from September 24 to 26. Lands Minister Judith Nabakooba has welcomed the technology, saying more than 70% of land cases in courts are linked to forgery and impersonation.