LIST: NIRA names national ID collection centres for Wakiso, Kampala residents

• NIRA has named 52 centres for national ID collection and enrolment in Wakiso District.

• Kololo Independence Grounds remains the main collection centre for Kampala residents.

• NIRA has launched a seven-day outreach exercise in Lira to reduce uncollected IDs and long queues.

• Uganda has registered about 35 million people, covering nearly 76 per cent of the population.

The National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) has named 52 centres where people can collect their national IDs in Wakiso District.

For Namugongo Division, the centre is Uganda Martyrs Namugongo Catholic Shrine. Namugongo Division (Kireka/Kasosoko) will use St. Stephen’s COU in Kireka Town. Bweyogerere Division residents will be served at Rest Gardens Kireku (Main Hall).

Kasangati Town Council will use Masooli-Kitetika NIRA office, while Kasangati Town Council (Kabubu Parish) will use Manyangwa Sir Apollo COU. Busukuma Division residents will go to Busukuma Division Offices.

Gombe Division will use Gombe Division Offices (Community Hall), while Nabweru Division will use Nabweru Division offices in the hall. Wakiso Sub-county residents will be served at Good News Church in Bulega Town.

Wakiso Town Council will use Kayunga Catholic Church in Kayunga Town. Kakiri Sub-county and Town Council residents will use Kakiri Sub-county offices (Community Hall), while Namayumba Sub-county and Town Council will use Namayumba Community Hall.

Masulita Sub-county and Town Council residents will be served at Masulita Town Council (Community Hall), while Mende Sub-county will use Mende Sub-county Community Hall. Kyengera Town Council residents will go to Kyengera Town offices.

Nansana Division, specifically Naluvule Parish, will use the NIRA office at Naluvule.

These centres will also handle enrolment to the national register.

For Kampala residents, the main collection centre is Kololo Independence Grounds. Previously, NIRA also used Central Division at the NIRA Office on Lumumba Avenue, Nakawa Division at the NIRA Office on Kalinabiri Road, Rubaga Division at the NIRA Division Office, Kawempe Division at the NIRA Division Office, and Makindye Division at the NIRA Division Office.

NIRA has also launched a community outreach initiative aimed at reducing the backlog of uncollected national identification cards and making access easier for citizens in Lira. The authority is also using a mobile van to move across different parts of the country.

Speaking to the media, Innocensia Achieng Awany, the NIRA Registration Officer for Lira City and Lira District, said many residents have struggled to collect their national IDs from NIRA offices despite the cards being available.

According to Achieng, one of the biggest challenges has been the long queues at NIRA offices, which discourage many people from returning to pick up their IDs. She explained that the issue was brought to the attention of NIRA’s main office, which then facilitated a seven-day community outreach programme to take services closer to the people.

“We acknowledged the challenge of long lines at our offices, which is mainly due to the limited number of staff serving thousands of people,” Achieng said.

She added that NIRA headquarters deployed additional officers to support the exercise in the community. Within Lira City, two service points have been established at Mayor’s Garden and Ngetta, while in Lira District, residents can access services in Agali and Ogur sub-counties.

“On the first day alone, we issued 1333 national identification cards, Lira City, 831 and Lira District, 502 to their rightful owners. This number is expected to increase in the coming days,” she noted. “Previously, we only managed to issue about 200 IDs daily at our offices, which shows that this outreach approach is far more effective.”

Achieng said the seven-day exercise is expected to significantly reduce the large number of uncollected IDs currently stored at NIRA offices.

She also urged residents of Lira City and District to take advantage of the outreach period while the teams are on the ground.

The initiative reflects Uganda’s broader progress in expanding national identification coverage. With the country’s population estimated at about 45.9 million people, and approximately 35 million already registered, nearly 76 per cent of Ugandans are now captured in the national ID system.

Before collecting your ID, NIRA first sends a message confirming that the ID is ready for pickup. It is important to keep that message and present it when asked during collection. However, some people who did not receive messages still found their cards ready when they visited collection centres.