The National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) has come out to state that all birth certificates that are not issued by them or the Uganda Registration Service Bureau (URSB) are not considered as birth certificates but rather birth notification record(s) that one can use to process an original birth certificate from them.
All this was clarified in a press statement released on Aug. 10th signed by Mr. Gilbert Kadilo; Manage PR and Cooperate Affairs at NIRA. This followed NTV report on the validity of birth certificates that NIRA stated as “erroneous reporting”.
NIRA has clearly stated that all birth certificates issued by hospitals, sub counties/divisions or town councils are birth notification records they termed as “short birth certificates”.
The government-owned body has called all Ugandans without a birth certificate issued by them or URSB, to process one. In their statement they state that they have undertaken initiatives to scale up birth registration in the country in the fulfillment of its mandate as provided in the Registration of Persons Act (ROPA) 2015.
NIRA was formed in 2015 mandated to register births and deaths in the country and to issue national identification cards for every citizen. Before its formation, many Ugandans have come to use these “short birth certificates” for literally everything — schools, universities, marriages, voting process, among others.
The birth certificates issued by NIRA looks much-a-like, as the so termed short birth certificates.
Registering for a birth certificate from NIRA will take a while considering that the organization is known for its delay process. On its part of issuing national Ids has been a headache to most Ugandans who take nearly up to 5 years to get their Ids from the time of registration.
What grantee has been put in place that the birth certificates would be issued on time. Well! NIRA claims it has undertaken activities to train duty officials in birth and death certificate registration.
How to register for a birth certificate?
Visit NIRA offices either at the main post building in Kampala road, Georgia house or Kololo ceremonial grounds.
You will be required to fill in Form 3 Notice of Birth of a Child (Download) and attach;
- Birth notification record from the place of birth.
- Copy of your national ID.
- Copy of your parents national IDs.
- Bank payment receipt of UGX5,000.
