The National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) has announced a temporary adjustment in its operations, including the suspension and scaling down of outreach activities in several Ebola-affected and high-risk border districts as Uganda responds to a new Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak linked to the Budibugyo region in western Uganda.
The announcement was made by NIRA Spokesperson and Registrar Claire Ollama during the weekly security press briefing at Uganda Police Headquarters.
She said the decision aligns with Ministry of Health guidelines on infection prevention, crowd control, and reducing public gatherings in high-risk areas. Ollama emphasized that while NIRA offices will remain operational, mobile registration outreaches and community-based services will be suspended or significantly reduced in affected districts to minimize the risk of transmission.
Uganda is currently responding to an Ebola outbreak associated with the Bundibugyo strain, previously identified in western Uganda, with health authorities intensifying surveillance, contact tracing, and public health messaging across affected regions. Movement restrictions and limits on public gatherings have also been reinforced as part of containment efforts.
According to Ollama, the operational changes mainly affect districts where enforcement of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) is challenging due to high public interaction points such as markets, local council offices, and mobile registration centers. “We are scaling down greatly on our services in all border districts. We are only going to serve you in communities and spaces where enforcement and control can happen,” she said.
She listed the affected districts as including Hoima, Kikuube, Ntoroko, Kabarole, Bundibugyo, Bunyangabu, Fort Portal, Kasese, Kamwenge, Rukungiri, Kanungu, Kisoro, Isingiro, and several districts in West Nile and northern Uganda, including Arua, Yumbe, Koboko, Maracha, Moyo, Adjumani, Nebbi, and Pakwach.
In these areas, NIRA will continue operating from fixed offices and controlled service points such as health facilities, while suspending mass mobile registration exercises and community outreaches.
Despite the adjustments, NIRA assured the public that essential civil registration services, including birth registration, issuance of national identity cards, and marriage registration, will continue without interruption. Ollama also emphasized the importance of timely birth registration, noting that children registered within the first six months of birth qualify for free registration, while delayed registration attracts administrative fees.
She added that the authority is implementing reforms aimed at improving service delivery, including plans for alien registration for legally resident foreign nationals and enhanced system integration with institutions that rely on national identity verification. NIRA stressed that the decision is temporary and strictly guided by public health considerations. “Our offices will remain open.
It is the outreach activities in open and uncontrolled environments that we are scaling down due to the difficulty of enforcing SOPs in such settings,” Ollama said. The authority reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining essential services while safeguarding both citizens and staff as Uganda continues to manage the Ebola outbreak in Budibugyo and surrounding districts. URN