NIRA Registrar Claire Ollama addressing reporters at Uganda Media Centre
By George Bukenya
The turn up for Nationals who are seeking to be registered for the first time is still very minimal according to Claire Ollama NIRA registratrar in charge of Buikwe District.
Ollama said that since the commencement of the exercise, a total of 5.3 million people have turned up to renew their National IDs but the number of those new entrants is still wanting and it from this back ground that he argued every citizen to embrace registration of their children because they are the majority.
She said that NIRA has decided to allocate two days in a week specifically for registration of children who will be accompanied by their parents or relatives who are required to sign on the forms personally and should also provide their passport size photos.
‘’When you register your children you will be avoiding loss of their wealth they are yet to inherit when you die. The children will also get other benefits like access to Public Universities and other institutions of higher learning,’’ Ollama cautions.
She further said that parents can do pre-registration as a gate way to access the system after which they can walk to their area NIRA Centre for capturing of their children’s Biometric data and this simplifies the work and saves time one would spend in the que.
The registrar also warned that any parent who doesn’t personally sign his or her child’s form, the child won’t be registered.
Ollama also retaliated that those who are wishing to change their particulars say name will pay UGX 200,000 in addition to the legal document supporting their desire but in the event NIRA committed a mistake in the spelling of the name or any other error like giving the holder a false name, such mistakes will be corrected free of charge.
The charge of particulars will only be carried out at the respective district headquarters.
She also retaliated that registration is for Ugandans only and those contested Banyarwanda who whose parents when not here by 1920 have to apply for citizenship first before they go to apply for National IDs.