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The National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) has offered explanations to queries surrounding the rationale for its ongoing national ID registration and renewal process.
Rosemary Kisembo, the Executive Director of the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA), appeared Tuesday morning before Parliament’s Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities, and State Enterprises (COSASE) to address concerns raised by MPs on the exercise.
In response to questions about the expiry dates on national IDs, Kisembo provided a two-fold explanation.
She cited Section 69 of the NIRA Act, which explicitly provides for the expiration and renewal of national identification cards.
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Clauses 5 and 6 of the Act state that cards should be renewed upon expiry, but also clarify that "expiry of a National Identification Card does not amount to expiry of citizenship of a person.”
Kisembo further explained the technical reason behind the expiry date, noting that the cards themselves need to be renewed physically to keep them usable.
“A card is a plastic material with embedded security features, which because over time, these features deteriorate,” she explained.
Rosemary Kisembo, the Executive Director
Focus on New Registrations Amid Delays
The mass registration and renewal exercise, which began in May, has been plagued by delays in the production and distribution of new IDs, causing frustration for many Ugandans.
Students, in particular, who require updated cards for university admissions, have been affected.
Meanwhile, Kisembo clarified that the primary objective of the current exercise is to register new Ugandans, not just to renew cards.
She revealed that NIRA has 17.2 million new Ugandans to register, a number that is greater than the 15.8 million people who are seeking to renew their IDs.