By Christine
Residents of Fort Portal City have been urged to take advantage of an upcoming outreach by the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) aimed at improving access to national identity card services.
According to the Fort Portal NIRA Registrar, Junior Akampurira, the nationwide exercise is already underway in several districts, with Fort Portal City set to host its roadshow on Saturday, April 25. He noted that the exact venue will be communicated in advance, adding that sufficient staff will be deployed to ensure a smooth and efficient distribution process.
Akampurira revealed that approximately 60,000 national identity cards are currently ready for collection within the Fort Portal area, with additional cards still being processed and dispatched. He emphasized that the outreach presents a timely opportunity for residents to pick up their IDs and access related services.
On the rollout of the new national IDs, Akampurira explained that the system is undergoing final connectivity testing. However, he expressed confidence that the cards will be fully operational by the end of April.
Addressing concerns from residents in remote sub-counties, he clarified that all registration and related services have, for now, been centralized at designated NIRA offices. While there have been calls to extend services closer to communities, residents are currently required to visit official NIRA centers to access these services.
Authorities are encouraging all eligible residents to participate in the upcoming outreach and collect their national IDs promptly to avoid further backlog.