By Walter Okello I April 27th 2026
The National Identification and Registration Authority has launched a community outreach initiative aimed at reducing the backlog of uncollected national identification cards and making access easier for citizens in Lira.
Speaking to our reporter, Innocensia Achieng Awany, the NIRA Registration Officer for Lira City and Lira District, said many residents have struggled to collect their national IDs from NIRA offices despite the cards being available.
According to Achieng, one of the biggest challenges has been the long queues at NIRA offices, which discourage many people from returning to pick up their IDs. She explained that the issue was brought to the attention of NIRA’s main office, which then facilitated a seven-day community outreach program to take services closer to the people.“We acknowledged the challenge of long lines at our offices, which is mainly due to the limited number of staff serving thousands of people,” Achieng said.
She added that NIRA’s headquarters deployed additional officers to support the exercise in the community. Within Lira City, two service points have been established at Mayor’s Garden and Ngetta, while in Lira District, residents can access services in Agali and Ogur Sub-counties.
“On the first day alone , we issued 1333 national identification cards, Lira city, 831 and Lira district, 502 to their rightful owners. This number is expected to increase in the coming days,” she noted. “Previously, we only managed to issue about 200 IDs daily at our offices, which shows that this outreach approach is far more effective.”
Achieng said the seven-day exercise is expected to significantly reduce the large number of uncollected IDs currently stored at NIRA offices.
She also urged residents of Lira City and District to take advantage of the outreach period while the teams are on the ground.
The initiative reflects Uganda’s broader progress in expanding national identification coverage. With the country’s population estimated at about 45.9 million people, and approximately 35 million already registered, nearly 76% of Ugandans are now captured in the national ID system.