The National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) has announced that more than 35 million Ugandans are now registered under the country’s new national identification system, following the conclusion of the parish-level mass enrollment and renewal exercise.
Speaking to the media, NIRA Registrar Claire Ollama said the nationwide exercise, which began on May 27, 2025, officially ended on February 8, 2026, after being extended by three months. She confirmed that all records from the old national ID system have been fully transferred into the new register.
“We have successfully migrated all data from the old system into the new, and I wish to inform you this morning that 28,571,893 records are now migrated into the new system,” Ollama said. “Every record that we did have in the old system is now present in the new system.”
Ollama noted that during the mass enrollment campaign, NIRA registered 14 million new applicants and printed 10 million national ID cards.
However, she revealed that while seven million cards have already been dispatched to citizens, only 2.5 million have so far been issued, prompting authorities to urge Ugandans to collect their IDs without delay.
NIRA Public Relations Officer Osborn Mushabe clarified that all Ugandans aged 16 years and above qualify for national IDs, but emphasized that those who are already 18 years and above do not need to undergo re-registration.
“Ugandans who are 16 years and above qualify to receive national IDs. However, those who are already 18 years and above do not need to return for re-registration — they only need to collect their national IDs,” Mushabe said.
He explained that although the registration process has been improved through modern technology, delays have occurred due to the overwhelming number of applicants.
“National ID renewal isn’t supposed to take long. The delay is only due to the high number of applicants. The process is faster for those whose data is already on record,” Mushabe said.
The mass enrollment exercise was intended to register 17.2 million Ugandans through parish-based services. With the closure of parish registration centers, NIRA has now resumed normal operations at district offices, while calling for increased efforts to register children, citing low turnout during the exercise.
“The parish-level national ID enrollment exercise officially closed on February 8, 2026, marking the end of parish-based services and the completion of data migration from the old system,” Ollama said.
NIRA officials said the program is a critical step toward strengthening national identification, improving access to government services, and ensuring the national ID remains the primary proof of citizenship.
“Not everyone living in Uganda is a Ugandan. When we register you and assign you a unique NIN, you are then able to access services as a citizen and use it as proof of Ugandan citizenship,” Mushabe added.
NIRA continues to encourage citizens who have not yet picked up their ID cards to do so, while also urging parents and guardians to register their children to ensure full national coverage.
