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Paper short abstract:

In Uganda, the National ID card has become indispensable for participating in many aspects of public life. While the benefits of obtaining legal identity documents is apparent for most individuals these documents and the bureaucratic procedures for obtaining them also constitute a source of anxiety.

Paper long abstract:

Since the introduction of the mandatory National ID in Uganda in 2014, an ID-centric infrastructure has widened drastically in the country. ID-cards have become indispensable for participating in many aspects of public and everyday life. Thereby, the benefits of possessing legal identity documents is apparent for many individuals who have gained easier access to loans and public services.

For others, however, the enhanced significance of the National ID in everyday life is associated with insecurity and 'registration anxiety': For ethnic minorities very particular challenges have emerged as many have been denied access to the registration processes due to their "questionable citizenship status". This has triggered different strategies amongst minority groups including registering as a different ethnicity and using made-up names. While this strategy has led to some groups receiving IDs the small card has also become a source of insecurity and anxiety as many dread to present their ID with the manipulated data to state authorities.

As the expiry date of nearly 16 million National IDs is approaching and a 'mass renewal' exercise is unfolding, many people are anxious to re-engage with the registration offices. In this context, the paper explores how registration-related anxieties translate into individual and collective strategizing and more specifically what this means for the country's transition from mass informality to formalized national registries. Furthermore, the paper argues that dominating development discourses presenting formalization as a solution to poverty and insecurity fail to consider differentiated anxieties often associated with bureaucratic encounters such as obtaining a legal identity.