The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Mbale Secondary School has emerged overall winner of the 2025 NIRA Schools Debate, with Bweranyangi Girls Secondary School first runner-up and Kitante Hill Secondary School second runner-up.
The event, organised by the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) to raise awareness about the Identity Card (ID), brought together over 20 secondary schools from across Uganda.
Hosted by media personality Pamela Malaika, the competition at Kitante Hill School featured discussions on themes related to NIRA’s upcoming national ID enrollment campaign, scheduled to begin on May 27, 2025. Students debated motions such as whether schools should admit only NIRA-registered students and whether lost or damaged National IDs should be replaced free of charge.
Schools that attended included Nyakasura School, Muni Girls Secondary School, St. Henry’s College Kitovu, and Sebei College Tegeres. Primary schools such as Tennessee Valley, Nakivubo Blue, and Nabumali PS participated as levelers in the audience, observing the debates and engaging with the topics.
NIRA Executive Director Rosemary Kisembo emphasized the importance of youth participation in the registration process, noting that 18.2 million Ugandans, most of them under 17, remain unregistered.
She stated that a National Identification Number is essential for accessing education, healthcare, and employment opportunities.
Internal Affairs State Minister Gen. David Muhoozi commended the students for their insights and highlighted NIRA’s preparations for the mass enrollment, including the deployment of 5,665 biometric registration kits and high-capacity card printers.
Currently, only 5.2 million children in Uganda have legal identification, leaving approximately 70 percent without official documentation.
The debate served as both a competition and a platform for raising awareness about national ID registration. The Ministry of Education and Sports integrated the event into its civic education curriculum, while Debate Society Uganda ensured high standards of discussion and participation.
NIRA urged parents, guardians, and community leaders to support the enrollment campaign, emphasizing that a National ID is a fundamental right for all Ugandans. The success of the debate underscored the role of young people in shaping national discourse and driving civic engagement.
