In a statement released by the Uganda Episcopal Conference secretariat Nsambya on Saturday, all archbishops and bishops were directed to consider National Identity cards a requirement for all couples solemnising marriage.
This followed a directive from the Uganda registration service bureau URSB asking the church to have all couples present their national IDs if they want a valid church marriage.
“Greetings from Uganda Catholic Secretariat. We have received a communication from the Uganda Registration Services Bureau [URSB] regarding the current essential requirements for solemnising a valid Church Marriage” A statement read.
The letter tasked all the bishops to disseminate the directive to all parishes across the country.
“We kindly request you to have this information disseminated to the respective parishes in order for us to comply with the existing Civil Law as we prepare couples for Holy Matrimony” the statement added.
The NIRA is responsible for registering all Ugandan citizens. As of September 2022, the National Identification Register had 25.9 million Ugandans registered. It is estimated that 17.4 million Ugandans are not yet registered in the National Identification Register.