At least 2.5 million Ugandans have registered for renewal of their national identification card in the ongoing mass renewal exercise.
Addressing journalists on Monday, Buikwe District registration officer, Claire Ollama said the exercise has so far been successful.
“This is very exciting, because every time we look at the big outside in terms of numbers for the people that are coming to our stations, it is a strong message that people now appreciate the importance of identification in this country. For many reasons, one, that identification is at the heart of how they access services. It is also a message that shows that they know that today's Uganda can only become beautiful or enjoyable if you're well identified,” Ollama said.
“This is also testament that they appreciate our security, because you cannot secure people don't have well identified people, but also the knowledge that the National ID is critical for the social economic transformation of this country.”
Ugandans’ first batch of national IDs were printed and issued between 2014 and 2015 and after 10 years, they expired last year in 2024 and this year 2025.
Government recently extended the expiry period for one year.
At least 15.8 million national identity cards are expected to expire by August this year.
The ongoing mass registration exercise is meant to renew the national IDs but also add advanced security features for easy identification.
NIRA Executive Director, Rosemary Kisembo recently said only 27.4 million Ugandans are currently registered, of the 45.9 million according to last year’s census.
Speaking on Monday, Ollama urged those coming to register for the first time to ensure they have information about their paternal lineage, father's tribe and maternal family among others.
“ We want to keep track of your ancestry and where you hail from. Now, if you do not come with that information, you will have to come with a certificate of citizenship that proves you to be a Ugandan or else will not be able to complete or process your request if you cannot tell us in absolute terms to which indigenous community your mother and father belong.”