NIRA Registers 36.2 Million Ugandans, Targets Full National Identification

The National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) has so far registered 36.2 million Ugandans, representing 78.8 percent of the country’s 45.9 million population recorded in the last census. The Minister of Internal Affairs, Ephraim Kamuntu, said the registration milestone demonstrates the progress made by NIRA since its establishment, but noted that the exercise will continue until all Ugandans are registered.

Kamuntu made the remarks on Tuesday while officiating at the launch of the first My Identity Expo and National Symposium 2026 at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds. He said NIRA’s registration of 36.2 million people from a starting point of zero was a significant achievement, but stressed that the ultimate target is 100 percent registration. 

Kamuntu described NIRA as foundational to government planning, saying accurate population data is essential for effective planning and allocation of resources. He said the National Identification Number (NIN) has also become central to Uganda’s financial system and access to public and private services.

“You need it to open bank accounts, access education, health services, get a driving permit, a passport, and even to vote. This aligns with Sustainable Development Goal 16.9, which envisions legal identity for all by 2030,” Kamuntu said. He commended NIRA, which was established in March 2015 under the Ministry of Internal Affairs, saying identification and registration of citizens is central to the ministry’s mandate of maintaining internal security and law and order.However, Kamuntu cautioned NIRA officials against using inadequate resources as an excuse for failing to execute their mandate. He said government should plan to strengthen the authority’s human resource capacity and address corruption within its systems.

Kamuntu said the government is also embracing technologies such as artificial intelligence, forensic services and CCTV cameras as part of efforts to improve security and develop a safer and smarter country. He urged Ugandans to ensure that births, marriages and deaths are registered promptly.

Brig. Gen. Stephen Kwiringira, a senior member of the NIRA Board, traced the origins of Uganda’s national identification system to the Integrated Resource Management Information System (IRMIS) introduced by the Uganda People’s Defence Forces during the LRA war to eliminate ghost soldiers and prevent infiltration.He said the system later contributed to the development of the national identification project under the late Gen. Aronda Nyakairima. Kwiringira recalled that the national ID project initially faced criticism, with some people viewing it as an attempt to influence the 2016 General Election.He said the system has since developed into an important tool supporting national development.

Meanwhile, Uganda Revenue Authority Commissioner General John Musinguzi Rujoki said the recently approved transition from the Tax Identification Number (TIN) to the NIN will help address tax evasion. Musinguzi said URA has encountered cases where individuals hold multiple TINs, with some people having as many as 10 identification numbers, making it difficult to track their tax obligations.

He said linking tax registration to the NIN will help ensure that individual taxpayers can be consistently identified. “However, a very accurate register like the one of National Identification and NIRA that is backed up by biometric technology, the fingerprint, the ID which is not easy to duplicate, will secure and ensure that it’s one taxpayer registered against one company or against several companies, but it can be positively identified consistently as the same taxpayer,” Musinguzi said.

He said the reform is part of URA’s strategy to increase Uganda’s tax-to-GDP ratio from about 14 percent to at least 20 percent within the next three years. The My Identity Expo and National Symposium 2026 was organised by NIRA as part of activities marking Uganda’s centenary celebrations, commemorating the period from 1894 through the 1926 boundary finalisation to independence. The event is being held under the theme, “My Identity. My Shadow. Never Apart.”