Deputy Speaker of Parliament Thomas Tayebwa has called on NIRA to take ID services closer to parishes, making it easier for citizens who cannot afford transport to district centers to obtain their IDs.

NIRA launched a nationwide enrollment and renewal drive in May, aiming to register Ugandans and issue IDs within three to four months. However, progress has been slow. Only 4 million IDs have been printed so far, and the number of citizens collecting them remains low.

NIRA Executive Director Rosemary Kisembo acknowledged the delay in notifying citizens. "We started sending messages, but we haven't done it much," she said. "They're a bit slow, but we're planning to do it in the next few days. The messages are fewer than the IDs we've printed. But at least 4 to 5 million cards have been picked out of the 14 million cards."

Kisembo urged all Ugandans, whether they’ve received alerts or not, to visit their district NIRA offices to collect their IDs. She added that NIRA plans to print 1 million cards each week.

Among those who have collected their IDs is Deputy Speaker Tayebwa, who received his at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds in Kampala. Afterward, he praised NIRA officials and Kisembo for their efforts, calling the initiative a "game changer" in the lives of Ugandans.

Currently, IDs are available at district centers, which Tayebwa says are inaccessible to many rural residents. He recommends bringing services to parish level to ease access. “For instance, it costs around 50,000 Ugandan shillings to travel from my subcounty to the district center," he explained. "That's a lot of money for many people. I agree, NIRA should bring IDs closer to people, like to parish level."

Tayebwa also highlighted the need for increased government funding to NIRA to expand its headquarters, acquire advanced equipment, and secure the country’s data. "I understand that we use the data center of one of the telecoms here," he said. "We need to move expeditiously, work with NITA Uganda and NIRA to have our own Data Center as government, because this is very critical data, which we are keeping with a private company. So after the election expenditures, we should be tackling this."

He further urged Ugandans, especially parents, to register their children for IDs, noting that IDs will soon be required for services such as hospital treatment. NIRA reports that 13 million children in Uganda are still without a National Identification Number (NIN), a significant gap given its importance for accessing services.