In an impressive national registration push, Uganda’s National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) has processed more than 9.1 million people in just two months — a milestone that reflects a growing commitment to official identity across the country.
Speaking at the weekly police briefing in Naguru, NIRA Registrar Claire Ollama shared the encouraging breakdown: “In this exercise, within two months, we have registered 9.1 million Ugandans. Of these, 8 million were renewing their IDs, 800,000 were registering for the first time, and the rest had some form of identification previously but are now applying for their first national ID.”
The surge is not just about renewals — a significant number of children have now joined the national registry, marking an important step in securing their legal identity.
Ollama reflected on this positive trend: “It shows that those who have embraced the gospel of registration are truly committed to being identified. The majority are renewing, but since we started registering children, we have reached 800,000 and that is many.”
She urged Ugandans to recognize the national ID’s lifelong importance: “If you still have a child in your household who is not registered, you are doing them a disservice. As parents, there are many gifts we can give, but few are like a national ID. It is a gift that keeps on giving from birth, when it helps with obtaining a birth certificate, through school trips, university enrollment, and even for legal matters later in life.”
With school holidays underway, Ollama encouraged families to seize the opportunity: “A national ID stays with a person from the time they are born until they sign out of this world. We pray that during this holiday season, you will make the choice to enroll your child and secure their future.”
As NIRA continues its drive, the goal is clear: to ensure every Ugandan — from infants to elders — holds a secure, verifiable identity that opens doors to opportunities throughout life.
