One Million Ugandans Renew National IDs in a Week as NIRA Intensifies Mass Exercise

The National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) has announced a significant surge in national identity card renewals, with over one million Ugandans renewing their IDs in just the past week. This rapid progress is part of NIRA’s ongoing mass registration and renewal exercise, crucial for citizens to access various essential services.

Claire Ollama, a registrar at NIRA, revealed the updated figures to journalists on Monday. “By Monday last week, we were at 2.5 million that had registered since the start of the exercise, but by today, we are at 3.5 million renewals,” Ollama stated, highlighting the remarkable pace of the program.

The comprehensive exercise encompasses both renewals for expired or soon-to-expire national ID cards, as well as first-time registrations for all Ugandans, including children. Uganda’s initial batch of national IDs, issued between 2014 and 2015, began expiring last year in 2024 and are continuing to expire this year. The government recently granted a one-year extension to the expiry period to facilitate the mass renewal.

NIRA anticipates that approximately 15.8 million national identity cards will have expired by August of this year. According to NIRA Executive Director Rosemary Kisembo, only 27.4 million Ugandans are currently registered, a notable gap given the country’s population of 45.9 million as per last year’s census.

Ollama expressed satisfaction with the public’s positive response to the ongoing exercise, noting that it demonstrates the faith citizens have in the importance of renewed national IDs for accessing critical services across the country.

She also urged parents to register their children, even if they are below the age of 16 (the minimum age for a national ID card), to ensure they obtain a National Identification Number (NIN). This unique identifier is a fundamental step towards future national ID acquisition and broader civic participation.

The mass renewal and registration drive is vital for ensuring an accurate and up-to-date national database, which underpins various government and private sector services, from banking to social welfare programs and electoral processes.