KAMPALA, Uganda — The National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) has announced a significant nationwide campaign aimed at enrolling at least 17.2 million Ugandans who are currently unregistered, as part of preparations for the 2026 general elections.
The mass registration and renewal exercise is scheduled to commence on May 27, 2025, and will operate from Monday to Saturday, primarily at the parish level across the country.
According to NIRA Executive Director Rosemary Kisembo, this initiative will focus on bringing the substantial number of unregistered citizens into the national identification system. Simultaneously, the campaign will also address the need to renew national ID cards for over 15.8 million Ugandans whose current documents are set to expire by June 2025.
“The parish (Muluka) will be the heart of operations during the mass enrollment and renewal exercise. Registration will occur at each of the 10,594 parishes in a rotational, comb-and-clean approach. There will be a minimum of 10 kits at each parish on a day of registration,” Kisembo said on Wednesday.
Local leaders, including LC1 chairpersons, defense secretaries, and council members, will play a crucial role in facilitating the exercise, working closely with parish chiefs, Parish Internal Security Officers (PISOs), and Gombolola Internal Security Officers (GISOs) to ensure comprehensive registration of all eligible individuals.
While the mass enrollment and renewal will be conducted at the parish level, Kisembo clarified that any changes to personal details on national ID cards will only be handled at NIRA district offices due to specific legal requirements associated with such modifications.
With the 2026 polls drawing closer, this extensive registration drive underscores NIRA’s commitment to ensuring that a significant portion of the previously unregistered population is included in the national identification database.
