The National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) has officially opened the process for Ugandans seeking to amend details on their National Identity Cards.
However, the agency has issued a strong warning, saying only legitimate corrections will be entertained, while fraudulent changes, particularly of age, will not be tolerated.
Addressing journalists at the joint security briefing at the police headquarters in Naguru, Kampala, NIRA Registrar, Clare Olalama clarified that changes to national ID particulars will only be processed at district-level NIRA offices, not at parish or lower-level service centers.
“I want to be categorically clear, that anybody seeking to renew their ID particulars will not be able to do it at the parish level but will have to make a trip to the nearest district office,” she noted.
Only factual errors, not fabricated changes
Olalama explained that the process is strictly for corrections of factual errors, such as incorrect spelling of names, mismatched dates, or data entry mistakes.
“If your name was written as Teo but your real name is Teopista, or if the day and month in your birth date were swapped by mistake, that can be corrected,” she said. “But this is not an opportunity to change your age from 30 to 17 just because you want to participate in a youth tournament or qualify for a U.S. visa.,” he noted.
She gave an impassioned warning against manipulating identity data for personal convenience, referencing recent concerns shared by immigration authorities and foreign embassies.
She highlighted cases where applicants attempted to present themselves as younger in order to travel abroad, marry under false pretenses, or acquire driver’s licenses they wouldn’t otherwise qualify for.
She noted that some ladies have dates of birth that allows them to drive the BMW, a date of birth that they tell their husbands so they can get married, and they have a real date they were born.
“Please we are not in business of making you comfortable. We are documenting facts! And so, I want to caution, whoever is coming through to change their information with a view of or with some ulterior motives that we know not. Last week the people from immigration were telling us how the US Embassy was penalizing you, who want to travel, and the reason is one, you are found of lying,” she noted.
“Today you are 20 years, now because your mother is in the US, she wants to take you now, she tells you go to NIRA and change your date and become 17. Because you are 30 years, you want to take part in a youth tournament of football that is taking your people to Australia, you come back and we are seeing an able-bodied man saying he is 16,” Ollama noted.
NIN, first ID cards for teenagers
Clarifying the process for school children, Ollama explained that children aged 0 to 16 can apply for a National Identification Numbers (NIN), but not a physical ID cards. Only upon turning 16 are they eligible to apply for their first National ID.
“Every Ugandan who has a NIN and has turned 16 should now go to their nearest NIRA office to apply for their first ID card,” she said.
Young people without a NIN can still apply using a parent’s or biological relative’s ID and follow the pre-registration process online before biometric capture.
Schools to serve as registration points
In collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Sports, NIRA will again use schools as registration points for children, on a class-by-class basis.
This approach is aimed at reaching families who are unable to access registration centers during working hours.
Ollama urged parents to provide accurate data when registering children, stressing the importance of choosing a name and sticking with it.
“Make a choice today if you want your child to be Teo or Teopista. Do not say Teo today and when they seat Senior six, you say they are now Teopista, no way. Don’t be Budalla today and become Abdulla today, they are different names. Meet us half way, give us full information that is accurate, concrete, that is a true reflection of who he is,” he added.
In 2017, NIRA was forced to cancel over 10,000 child applications due to poor data quality and inconsistencies in information.
“Meet us halfway, help us help you. Give us full information that is accurate, concrete, that is a true reflection of who he is,” Ollama said.
