No National ID! No Wife! Parliament Transfers Civil Marriage Powers to NIRA.

In a significant legislative move, Parliament has approved the transfer of authority to conduct civil marriages from the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) to the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA). Additionally, NIRA will now be responsible for registering all faith-based and customary marriages.

The decision comes as part of the URSB Amendment Act, 2024, which aligns with the Government’s broader initiative for the Rationalisation of Government Agencies and Public Expenditure (RAPEX). The primary objective of RAPEX is to streamline government operations, prevent duplication of roles, and optimize expenditure.

According to the report submitted by the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs committee, the transfer aims to delineate the civil registration functions performed by NIRA and URSB. While NIRA will handle civil registration functions related to natural persons in Uganda, including births, marriages, and deaths, URSB will focus on civil registration functions concerning juridical persons and non-incorporated entities.

Justice Minister Nobert Mao emphasized that the move facilitates the consolidation of all civil registration functions under one agency, thereby enhancing efficiency and effectiveness in service delivery.

The transition will involve the transfer of staff and equipment from the Department of Civil Registration at URSB to NIRA to facilitate the seamless execution of the mandate. However, the committee expressed concerns about NIRA’s readiness to absorb the additional responsibilities and advised a phased approach to implementation.

Apart from marriage registration, NIRA will also assume other duties, including licensing and registration of churches for celebrating marriages, maintaining registers related to matters required for registration under relevant laws, and holding and disseminating information on marriages celebrated in Uganda. Additionally, NIRA will be entrusted with the creation, maintenance, and updating of an adopted children register.

The law mandates the minister to announce the commencement date for Ugandans to begin accessing civil marriage services at NIRA. This development marks a significant step towards centralizing civil registration functions and enhancing governance in Uganda.