NIRA Starts National Identity Cards Renewal Exercise For Ugandans In Diaspora

NIRA has announced that it will officially start the national identity cards (ID) renewal exercise for Ugandans in the diaspora next month.

In May, NIRA rolled out the mass enrollment and renewal exercise for Ugandans back at home with over 5 million citizens already registered.

The National IDs for some of those who registered are ready for picking.

Addressing journalists on Monday, NIRA registrar, Claire Ollama said starting August 18 to 24, their officials will be stationed at the Ugandan embassy in Abu Dhabi to allow Ugandans nearby renew their National IDs.

Between August 25 and 27, NIRA officials will be stationed in Sharjah City while between 28 and 30 August, they will be stationed in Ras Al-Khaimah, all cities in the United Arab Emirates to allow Ugandans renew their national IDs.

“We decided to spread out in the three cities to avoid congestionbut also reach out to where Ugandans are,” Ollama said.

According to Ollama, they will then on  August 4 and 17 be at the Ugandan embassy in Doha, Qatar before proceedings to the Ugandan High Commission in London between September 14 and 21.

The team will proceed to New York between September 23 and 25 , Washington between September 26 and 28 and New Orleans between September 29 and 31.

The NIRA registrar however warned that Ugandans who acquired citizenship of other countries will not be eligible for this exercise, explaining that only those who acquired dual citizenship will be eligible.

“We will only work on people who live and work abroad and still identify as Ugandan and are travelling purely on Ugandan passports and those who have dual citizenship. If you don’t have dual citizenship but acquired citizenship of another country, it means you relinquished your Ugandaness.”