The mass enrollment and renewal of National Identity cards, spearheaded by the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA), officially began on Tuesday in Mityana District, with civil servants among the first to be registered.

The exercise was launched at the district headquarters, where Resident District Commissioner Drake Joseph Mukiibi urged public servants particularly those nearing retirement to ensure their National IDs are updated to reflect the correct information in their personnel files.

Mukiibi noted that discrepancies between National ID data and official employment records have led to many retirees being denied access to their gratuity and pension benefits.

He also warned that individuals without valid National IDs would be excluded from accessing key government services, including the Parish Development Model (PDM) funds.

Mityana District Chairperson Patrick Mugisha Nshiimye appealed to residents to safeguard their National IDs and avoid using them as collateral with moneylenders.

He emphasized that the ID is a crucial document for accessing various government programs.

Ronald Kamaanzi, the NIRA registrar in Mityana, explained that the exercise is part of a nationwide campaign targeting over 15.8 million renewals and 17.2 million new registrations, including children and adults who have yet to be registered.

The campaign is expected to run for six months.

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