KAMPALA – The Minister of Internal Affairs, Ephraim Kamuntu, has vowed to strengthen the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) as a cornerstone of Uganda’s digital transformation and national security strategy.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The Minister made the remarks on Thursday, August 6, 2026, during his maiden familiarization tour of NIRA headquarters, where he undertook a guided walkthrough of the facility.
Accompanied by Permanent Secretary Lt. Gen. Joseph Musanyufu, Minister Ephraim Kamuntu toured NIRA headquarters and described the National Identification Register as a critical national asset.
He further underscored that without a dependable and precise identity framework, the country’s aspirations for stability, effective governance, and inclusive development would remain fundamentally undermined.
“The National Identification Register is a critical national asset. Without a dependable and precise identity framework, the country’s aspirations for stability, effective governance, and inclusive development will remain fundamentally undermined,” Minister Kamuntu said.
The Minister engaged with citizens at the offices, where their candid, firsthand accounts of service delivery offered him critical, real-world lessons for policy refinement.
He underscored that public experience directly informs resource allocation and support mechanisms, reinforcing his pledge to remain accessible and attentive to citizens’ needs.
The NIRA Executive Director, Rosemary Kisembo, briefed the Minister on the significant strides made by the Authority, particularly following the successful Mass Enrolment and Renewal Exercise.
She noted that the Authority pushed further boundaries of access, extending birth and death registration, National Identification Number (NIN) issuance, and ID card distribution to schools, health facilities, remote communities, and even village-level registration points.
“After the successful Mass Enrolment and Renewal Exercise, NIRA has made big progress. We have taken services closer to the people. Birth and death registration, National ID number issuance, and ID card distribution are now done in schools, health centers, remote areas, and even in villages,” said Rosemary.
The Deputy Board Chairperson, Hon. Benny Namugwanya Bugembe, appealed to the Ministry to intervene on long-standing institutional needs, including a permanent headquarters, district offices, and two vacant Board seats.
She emphasized that the push for a permanent NIRA base has lingered unfunded in budget submissions for years, and appealed to the Minister’s leadership to bring the issue to a conclusive end.
“The need for a permanent home for NIRA has appeared in our budget repeatedly for years, yet it remains unfunded. We are looking to your leadership to bring this matter to a definitive conclusion,” Namugwanya stated.
Meanwhile, Permanent Secretary Lt. Gen. Joseph Musanyufu, who has been associated with NIRA since its very founding, warmly praised management and staff for their unwavering dedication.
He singled out their successful completion of the Mass Enrolment and Renewal Exercise, an undertaking that directly underpinned the production of the country’s voters’ register.
NIRA holds records for over 35 million Ugandans, representing more than 73% of the population, which clearly shows the strong progress made in national registration.
The Authority has achieved this milestone by expanding its presence from 117 locations in 2016 to all 135 districts today, supported by the rollout of modern systems and equipment that have made services faster and closer to the people.
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