KAMPALA, UGANDA — The National Identification Registration Authority (NIRA) in Uganda has registered approximately 3,623 marriages in the six months since taking over the function of marriage registration.
NIRA Executive Director Rosemary Kisembo revealed this information at an event in Kampala, where NIRA officially assumed the role from the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB).
Of the marriages registered by NIRA, 2,460 are Christian, 820 are Muslim, 256 are customary, and 5 are Hindu marriages. Additionally, NIRA has licensed 64 churches to conduct marriages and has carried out 662 marriage searches.
“NIRA is an organization that’s growing and transcends all barriers it encounters,” Kisembo stated.
NIRA took over marriage registration from URSB on November 26, 2023, following President Museveni’s signing of the URSB Amendment Act, 2024. This legislation empowered NIRA to handle civil marriage registration.
NIRA has introduced an online marriage registration system, enabling newly married couples to register their marriages without physically visiting NIRA offices.
“Marriages that are celebrated are also supposed to be registered. The registration process has been substantially manual, and now we are coming up with the system that will help us do it online, where the person responsible for registration, like a Church celebrant, will directly contact the authority,” Kisembo said. She expressed optimism that marriage registration numbers will increase and affirmed NIRA’s commitment to supporting the government’s rationalization program.
“NIRA shall continue to rise and soar on the wings of the new Marriage Registration function that it has received,” she added.
Kisembo recounted NIRA’s history, starting as a National ID project that she described as “highly successful,” evolving into an organization with 119 branches across the country.
“From its humble beginnings as the National ID project, which was highly successful, NIRA has blossomed into an affable organization with 119 branches and counting. With this new marriage registration mandate, we are confident NIRA will soar even higher,” she said.
URSB Registrar General Mercy Kainobwisho commended NIRA’s performance during the transition period, highlighting the “seamless and transparent collaboration” between the two entities.
“We have worked together with all stakeholders to ensure that this transition is not only seamless but also transparent. Our teams have worked hard to ensure the transfer of marriage registration function is handled professionally,” Kainobwisho stated.
She also noted that URSB has continued to share resources with NIRA during the transition, including internet access, lunch provisions, a medical insurance scheme, and office space, to ensure uninterrupted service delivery.
“The teamwork and mutual respect demonstrated have been exemplary,” she concluded.
