The National Identification Registration Authority (NIRA): Addressing the Gap in Citizen Registration

The National Identification Registration Authority (NIRA) has yet to confirm dates for the mass registration exercise for new national identity cards.

NIRA Executive Director, Rosemary Kisembo says the Authority can not announce when the registration will start until when it has received the registration equipment.

To address the gap of unregistered citizens, NIRA proposed a mass registration exercise before the end of this year. The two-month exercise was initially set to start in early June but was delayed.

Kisembo told journalists at Uganda Media Center that project initiation activities commenced on July 29th. “There are eight key items that we need to arrive in the country: the data center, registration kits, card printing equipment, blank cards, and the completion of system customization. These are the items on the critical path,” she added.

She said NIRA was supposed to submit the register to the Electoral Commission by November 30, 2024. The Electoral Commission recently announced the election roadmap for the next elections. The program included dates for the display of the register.

Kisembo said whoever seeks to participate in the 2026 electoral process must be registered during the upcoming registration exercise.