National Identification and Registration Authority

The National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) is a government-owned organisation in Uganda, mandated to register births and deaths in the country and to develop a National Identification Register for both citizens and legally resident non-citizens. NIRA is also mandated to issue national identification numbers and cards for every citizen and lawfully admitted alien.[1][2]

National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA)
TypeParastatal
IndustryRegistration of births and deaths
Founded2015
HeadquartersIndependence Grounds
Kololo Airstrip
Kampala, Uganda
Key people
Judy Obitre–Gama
Executive Director[1]
ProductsNational Identification Register, personal citizen identification cards, Personal alien identification cards, birth certificates, death certificates
WebsiteHomepage

Location

The headquarters of the NIRA are temporarily located at Independence Park, Kololo Airstrip, on Kololo Hill, in Kampala, Uganda's capital city.[3] The coordinates of Kololo Airstrip are 0°19'37.0"N, 32°35'34.0"E (Latitude:0.326955; Longitude:32.592787).[4]

Overview

NIRA was created by the Ugandan parliament on 26 March 2015 in the law known as the Registration of Persons Act 2015. Before then, registration of personal vital data was gathered under various laws by different government agencies, including the Uganda Registration Services Bureau, the Electoral Commission, the Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control, the Uganda Revenue Authority, various local governments, and others. To harmonize and standardize the collection of personal identifying information of all citizens and legally resident non-citizens, the Ugandan parliament empowered NIRA to be solely responsible for and to share that data with other government agencies that may require that data. NIRA is also specifically charged with developing a National Identification Register of the county's citizens and legally resident non-citizens.[1][5]

As of April 2016, work on fully establishing the agency is continuing. A board of directors is yet to be fully constituted by the Minister of Internal Affairs. Registration of people between ages 0 and 16 years has not yet started.[1] Mechanisms for registering Ugandans living and working outside Uganda are still being worked out.[6] As at November 2015, there was no law authorizing the re-issuance of replacement cards to recipients who had lost the originals. At that time, over 16 million cards had been issued,[1] but close to three million citizens had not picked up their IDs.[7]

Governance

The executive director of NIRA is Judy Obitre–Gama, a lawyer, who was sworn in on 15 July 2015.[8]

See also

References
  1. Obitre Gama, Judy (31 March 2016). "National Identification Registration Authority: Message from the Executive Director". Kampala. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
  2. Masaba, John (23 July 2015). "National Registration Authority to oversee ID issuance". New Vision. Kampala. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
  3. Mutale, Joshua (14 July 2015). "National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) Boss Sworn In". Kampala: Simba.fm. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
  4. Google (31 March 2016). "Location of the Headquarters of National Identification Registration Authority" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
  5. Bemanya Twebaze, and Judy Obitre–Gama (1 January 2016). "Transfer of Births, Deaths and Adoption Order Registration from URSB to NIRA Effective January 01, 2016". Kampala: National Identification and Registration Authority. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
  6. MOFA-NY (19 June 2015). "National Identity Cards - Guidance For Ugandans In The Diaspora". New York City: Uganda's Permanent Mission to the United Nations (MOFA-NY). Retrieved 31 March 2016.
  7. Eyotaru, Olive (19 November 2015). "Authority - No Regulations For Replacing National ID". Kampala: Uganda Radio Network. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
  8. Kasujja, Carol (15 July 2015). "Aronda promises peaceful elections". New Vision. Kampala. Retrieved 26 May 2016.

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