NIRA speaks out on ID renewal begining June

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The National Identification Registration Authority is to begin nationwide enrolment and renewal exercise for national identification cards in June this year.

Rosemary Kisembo the Executive Director of NIRA while speaking to journalists on Monday highlighted that the exercise will take place at the NIRA centers and at all the 10,717 parishes in the country.

Kisembo also noted that in the next few months, NIRA is to embark on public  sensitization on the importance of the exercise and also the places where it will take place.

She also revealed that the authority is to explain to the public why they have added a biometric feature to the Identification cards.

She also noted that for the recruitment of registration assistants, one must have a minimum Advance Certificate of Education (UACE) and must be speaking the local languages of the district one is making an application.

According to Kisembo, the recruitment exercises of the registration assistants will be carried out at the district level with the help of district renewal committees headed by the resident district commissioners and the applicants must be living in the districts where they are applying.

During the renewal exercise, NIRA will fast track all persons aged of sixteen because NIRA’s register is an input into the voter’s register but not the voter’s register.

Last week the Ministry of Internal Affairs declared that Ugandans will no longer need to pay a 50,000 Shillings requisite charge for the renewal of their National Identity Cards. The charge will only be maintained for those seeking express services.

Gen. David Muhoozi  State Minister for Internal Affairs was responding to an outcry by Members of Parliament over the delayed process for ID renewals and issuance of new ones by the National Identification and Registration Authority – NIRA.

The government seeks to renew over 15 million IDs and issue more than 17 million new ones by January 2025.

Gen. Muhoozi said that despite the delays, the Ministry had already initiated the procurement process for ICT equipment, and training of staff in the ongoing new National Security Information System in India.

The government first introduced the national IDs in 2014 and 2015 before the 2016 polls with a 10-year validity. This implies that the IDs will expire in August 2024 and June 2025.

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