NIRA Hosts Historic Expo As Government, Security Chiefs Rally Ugandans For Mass Registration

Hundreds of Ugandans on Tuesday flocked to the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) offices in Kololo to attend the first-ever NIRA Expo Symposium, an event that brought together government leaders, security officials, business personalities and members of the public.The landmark event was officially opened by the Minister of Internal Affairs, Hon. Ephraim Kamuntu, who highlighted the importance of national identification in strengthening security, improving government planning and ensuring effective service delivery.

The symposium attracted top government officials, including UPDF generals, police commanders, prisons officers, judges, Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) officials and other senior leaders who joined citizens in exploring the role of identification in national development.Speaking during the opening ceremony, Minister Kamuntu said NIRA remains a key institution in protecting the country because citizen identification helps authorities understand the population and address security challenges.“Registration of all citizens helps the government to identify criminals and how to deal with them. Identification is the heart of security,” Kamuntu said.He explained that national identification is not only important for security but also supports government planning, since leaders need accurate information about the people they serve before designing programmes and allocating resources.The Minister urged all Ugandans who have not yet registered with NIRA to do so, saying that a national identity card has become essential in accessing many government services and participating in important national activities.“You are counted as Ugandan by identification. Voting is by identification, accessing government services is by identification, and allocation of government resources is through identification,” he said.

However, Kamuntu challenged NIRA to work harder towards achieving complete registration of all Ugandan citizens, noting that the authority has so far registered approximately 78 percent of the population.“NIRA has so far registered 78 percent and without making 100 percent, the job is not yet done,” he said.The Minister also revealed government plans to support NIRA in acquiring a permanent headquarters, explaining that the authority’s work is sometimes interrupted whenever major national events take place at Kololo.“When there is any serious function at Kololo, NIRA closes offices and this hinders its operations,” he noted, directing the Permanent Secretary to look into securing funds for a permanent NIRA home.He further pointed out that inadequate staffing remains one of the challenges affecting the authority, saying that more personnel are needed for NIRA to fully perform its role as part of the country’s security system.

Meanwhile, URA used the symposium to launch the integration of the National Identification Number (NIN) into tax administration, replacing the use of the Tax Identification Number (TIN).URA Commissioner General John Musinguzi said the move will help the tax body improve identification of taxpayers and reduce cases where individuals use other people’s TINs to evade tax obligations.“People would use others’ TINs to avoid paying taxes and when time of arrest comes, innocent people would fall victims,” Musinguzi said.He added that linking tax records with national identification will help authorities identify taxpayers more accurately and improve revenue collection.Musinguzi also expressed optimism that the improved systems would contribute to economic growth, saying Uganda’s GDP could rise beyond 20 percent within the next three years.