Uganda Minister Kamuntu: NIRA Legal Identity Indispensable for National Security

• Uganda's Minister for Internal Affairs, Ephraim Kamuntu, affirmed that legal identity is crucial for national security, public services, and socioeconomic transformation.
• The National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) organized the My Identity Expo and Symposium 2026 to highlight the importance of accurate citizen identification.
• Legal identity is essential for Ugandans to access services like banking, education, healthcare, and government programs, and for effective national planning and resource allocation.
• NIRA has identified approximately 36.2 million Ugandans, representing 78.8% of the population, with a call for universal registration.
• NIRA board Vice Chairperson Benny Namugwanya linked legal identity to human dignity and Sustainable Development Goal 16.9, which aims for identity for all by 2030, emphasizing attention to vulnerable groups.

He underscored that robust identification systems are fundamental to national security and underpin the government's broader agenda for socioeconomic transformation.

Uganda's Minister for Internal Affairs, Ephraim Kamuntu, recently highlighted the indispensable role of legal identity in national security, public service access, and the nation's socioeconomic transformation. Speaking at the inaugural My Identity Expo and Symposium 2026, an event organized by the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA), Minister Kamuntu underscored the critical importance of accurate citizen identification for effective government planning, equitable resource allocation, fostering financial inclusion, and the successful delivery of social programs.

The symposium, which coincided with Uganda's centenary of its officially defined borders, served as a platform to emphasize the mandate of NIRA. As an institution operating under the Ministry of Internal Affairs, NIRA is tasked with the crucial responsibility of identifying and safeguarding citizens, alongside maintaining a dependable national identification system. Minister Kamuntu reiterated that robust identification systems are fundamental to national security and underpin the government's broader agenda for socioeconomic transformation.

He further clarified that registration is a prerequisite for proving one's nationality, stating that individuals cannot be recognized as Ugandan citizens without it. This foundational legal identity, according to the Minister, is what empowers citizens to access a wide array of essential services and opportunities across the country.

The significance of legal identity extends across numerous facets of Ugandan life, serving as a gateway to vital services and opportunities. Minister Ephraim Kamuntu elaborated that identification is essential for citizens to open bank accounts, access education and healthcare services, obtain driving licenses and passports, and participate in various government initiatives. Beyond individual access, he connected identification to broader governmental functions, including electoral processes, law enforcement, and border management, asserting that precise identity information enables state institutions to fulfill their respective mandates effectively.

Furthermore, national identification plays a pivotal role in economic planning. The government relies on accurate population data to make informed decisions regarding resource allocation. Minister Kamuntu stressed that without reliable demographic figures, the state cannot adequately plan for its future or target specific development goals. He cited government programs such as the Parish Development Model and youth livelihood initiatives, whose successful implementation is contingent upon having precise information about their intended beneficiaries, thereby linking Uganda's socioeconomic transformation directly to the availability of comprehensive legal identity records.

While acknowledging the significant strides made by the National Identification and Registration Authority Uganda in registering citizens, Minister Kamuntu noted that the authority still faces considerable work to achieve universal registration. Figures presented at the event indicated that approximately 36.2 million Ugandans have been identified to date, representing about 78.8 percent of the total population. He urged NIRA to prioritize closing this remaining gap and strive for 100 percent citizen registration.

Adding to the discourse, Benny Namugwanya, Vice Chairperson of the NIRA board, highlighted the event's importance in reflecting on legal identity and civil registration progress. She drew a connection between the global campaign for an International Identity Day and Sustainable Development Goal 16.9, which advocates for providing legal identity for all by 2030. Namugwanya emphasized that identity is intrinsically linked to human dignity and an individual's capacity to exercise their rights, access services, and actively participate in social and economic life. She echoed the sentiment that "Every person has the right to be recognised as a person before the law," citing the Parish Development Model as an example where identity documents determine access to government-supported economic opportunities. Achieving universal legal identity, she concluded, necessitates focused attention on vulnerable populations, including children, older persons, individuals with disabilities, and communities in hard-to-reach areas, who often encounter barriers to registration.

Lawyers and compliance officers in Uganda should recognize the government's reinforced emphasis on legal identity as a foundational requirement for accessing public services, financial inclusion, and economic participation. This necessitates ensuring clients possess valid national identification to avoid impediments in transactions, access to benefits, and compliance with increasingly identity-dependent regulatory frameworks.

Source: Original reporting via The Independent