The National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) is set to roll out a nationwide mass enrolment and renewal exercise for national IDs this month.
The State Minister for Internal Affairs, Gen David Muhoozi told journalists that having finalized all the preparation, NIRA is ready to roll out the exercise.
“Beginning May, 27, NIRA will mobilise and deploy at the parish level within every district in the 146 administrative units of this country,” Gen Muhoozi said.
The minister however said a pilot phase of the mass enrolment and renewal exercise has kicked off and will run up to May 26 .
“ The pilot phase began with the renewal of IDs of the Board of Directors of NIRA and the top management of Ministry of Internal Affairs.”
“This pilot marks the beginning of one of the most important citizen exercises in our country’s recent history. It is not just about renewing cards; it’s about reaffirming identity, inclusion, and access to government services.”
He explained that as part of the preparations, NIRA contracted Tahaluf Al Emarat Technical Solutions and has delivered 5665 biometric registration, two card machines with a combined printing capacity of 100,000 laser engraved cards per day and built a new national security information system.
“The new system provides for online pre-registration of biographical data. The new system will also capture the iris as an additional biometric feature,” Gen Muhoozi said.
“For the first time, citizens will be able to pre-register online, and our new system ensures tighter data security, improved service delivery, and stronger integration with other government systems.”
He said during the mass exercise, renewal and new registration services will be free of charge, while replacement of lost cards will cost shs 50,000 and change of particulars sh200,000 .
“We urge all Ugandans to take advantage of this opportunity. Come prepared with the right documents and support the process. This is not just an administrative exercise, but a national duty,” Gen. Muhoozi emphasized.
Applicants are encouraged to visit www.nira.go.ug for full requirements, including documents needed for children, adults, and those replacing lost IDs. Cards will be issued within four weeks of successful application during the initial phase.
