NIRA registers over 3,000 marriages in six months
The Registrar General of the URSB, Ms Mercy Kainobwiso (L), hands over the file containing all details of marriage registration to the executive director of NIRA at URSB offices on April 24, 2025. Photo | Courtesy
What you need to know:
- URSB Registrar General Mercy Kainobwisho praised NIRA's performance during the transition period, citing seamless and transparent collaboration.
The National Identification Registration Authority (NIRA) has registered about 3,623 marriages since assuming the role of marriage registration six months ago.
NIRA Executive Director Rosemary Kisembo revealed this during a function in Kampala where the authority officially took over the role from the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB).
Of the registered marriages, 2,460 are Christian, 820 Muslim, 256 customary, and five Hindu. NIRA has also licensed 64 churches and conducted 662 searches.
"NIRA is an organisation that's growing and transcends all barriers it encounters," Kisembo said.
NIRA took over marriage registration from URSB on November 26, 2023, after President Museveni signed the URSB Amendment Act, 2024. The law enabled NIRA to conduct civil marriage registration. The authority has introduced an online marriage registration system, allowing newly married couples to register without visiting NIRA offices.
"Marriages [that] are celebrated, are [as well] supposed to be registered, the [registration] process has been substantively manual and now we are coming up with the system that will help us do it online, where the person responsible for registration like Church celebrant will directly contact the authority," Commissioner Vincent Katutsi, the Commissioner Civil Registration at NIRA explained.
Ms Kisembo expressed optimism that marriage registration numbers will rise, saying NIRA will continue to support the government's rationalisation program.
"NIRA shall continue to rise and soar on the wings of the new Marriage Registration function that it has received. We shall support, transform and translate into reality, the dream of the government’s rationalisation program," she said.
NIRA’s journey, she said, started as a National ID project, which excelled, morphed into an impactful organisation with 119 branches with decentralised services across the country, and continues to grow.
"From its humble beginnings as the National ID project, which was highly successful, NIRA has blossomed into an affable organisation with 119 branches and counting. With this new marriage registration mandate, we are confident NIRA will soar even higher," she added.
URSB Registrar General Mercy Kainobwisho praised NIRA's performance during the transition period, citing seamless and transparent collaboration.
"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," she said.
Ms Kainobwisho further noted that URSB had continued to share facilities with NIRA during the transition period, including internet, lunch, medical insurance scheme, and office space, to support uninterrupted service delivery.
"The teamwork and mutual respect demonstrated have been exemplary," she concluded.
