The National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) has registered more than 9.1 million Ugandans in just two months, with the majority being renewals and a growing number of first-time registrants, including children.
This announcement was made by NIRA Registrar Claire Ollama during the weekly police briefing held at Naguru headquarters this morning.
Speaking to the public, Ollama detailed the progress and significance of the ongoing registration exercise.
“In this exercise, within two months, we have registered 9.1 million Ugandans,” Ollama said.
“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,” she added.
She emphasized what these numbers mean for the country: “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. People are beginning to hear and appreciate the value of a unique identity for children.”
Ollama appealed to parents to register their children without delay, highlighting the lifelong benefits of identification. “If you still have a child in your household who is not registered, you are doing them a disservice,” she said.
“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.”
She urged parents to use this holiday to register their child noting that a NIN keeps on giving until someone dies.
“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,” she added.
