20
2020
July: President Museveni directs the Board of NIRA to seek a new Executive Director of NIRA, citing
issues with registration and issuance of the national ID.
March 3: Minister of Internal Affairs Obiga Kania reports to Parliament on the decentralisation of
NIRA services.
November: NIRA initiates a door-to-door issuance of national ID cards exercise in anticipation of
the January 2021 elections
2021
March 2: Minister of Health Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng announces that the national ID will be required in
order to access the COVID-19 vaccine.
March 5: ISER and Unwanted Witness file a case against the Ugandan Government in the High
Court, Misc Cause 80 of 2021, demanding that it drop the requirement of NIN or NIC in order to
access the vaccine.
March 9: MOH announces that it will allow other forms of ID such as drivers’ licenses, identity cards,
work permits, passports, and verification by Local Council officials and Village Health Teams.
May 14: Rosemary Kisembo sworn in as new Executive Director of NIRA. Announces that from 2024
NIRA will begin to replace cards with chipped SmartCards, but that it will likely take eight years to
finish registering all citizens of Uganda.
Chased Away and Left to Die