NIRA Takes Over Civil Marriages Registration Department From URSB  

Parliament has approved the proposal to have the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) take over the civil registration (civil marriages) from Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) urging the transfer should be done in a phased manner so as to allow NIRA build capacity.

The first draft law to be considered is the Registration of Persons Amendment Bill, 2024 that saw the transfer of civil registration services from the Uganda Registration Services Bureau to the National Information Registration Authority.

The House, however, amended Clause 1 and clause 4 of the bill that will empower NIRA with the mandate of registering the guardianship.

“Some of the staff at URSB who have been performing the services of at the Bureau will be transferred to NIRA,” Gen David Muhoozi, the junior interior minister, said.

The other bill to be passed is the Uganda Trypanosomiasis Council Repeal bill 2024 that abolished the council and transfered its mandate to the Ministry of Agriculture.

The repealing of the bill however met some resistance from some MPs led by Theodore Ssekikubo, arguing it was wrong to process the bill without a line minister present.

“This bill is critical and processing it without any line minister would be a disservice to Ugandans, we cannot allow Minister David Bahati who has issues with traders with due respect to sit in for the Ministry of Agriculture,” Ssekikubo said.

But Speaker Anita Among said: ” I have received a written letter from the Senior Minister of Agriculture delegating Minister Bahati to sit in for him, and Bahati is one of the senior ministers, let’s trust him and proceed with the processing of the bill and good enough the Attorney General is here.”