NIRA brings birth registration services closer ahead of the Africa CRVS Day celebrations.

With only a day to celebrate the Africa Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Day (Africa CRVS), the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) has brought specific services nearer to masses.

In this way, NIRA has declared a whole week from August 9 (today) till August 13 to register and issue birth certificates to children but at a number of public and private institutional premises.

“We shall partner with a number of institutions in the public and private sectors where we shall set up registration desks at their premises to provide the service of registering and issuing of birth certificates to the children of staff during the week,” said Rosemary Kesembo, the NIRA Executive Director.

Staff whose children have never been issued with birth certificates will have the opportunity to be issued with birth certificates at the office premises.

A birth certificate is a personal document given to an individual to prove birth registration that costs UGX. 5,000 to certify and includes the child’s name, parents’ names and NINs, nationality among other details.

This year, the Africa CRVS Day shall be celebrated under the theme, “Leadership for an essential service: Building resilient civil registration and vital statistics systems in Africa that provide innovative, integrated and decentralized services for the post COVID-19 period.”

Kesembo noted that the observance of the African CRVS Day yearly has helped to improve public awareness of the importance of making everyone in Africa through universal birth registration and certification.

In the same resonation, NIRA will during this week register babies in the National Identification Register which is a permanent and official record of the existence of a person before the law.

Registration shall be done upon filling a form by the parent after giving birth. These forms can be accessed at the NIRA website, www.nira.go.ug by selecting Services & Forms, and filling Form 3.

Kesembo further revealed that the Birth Notification Forms are available in medical facilities at Sub County level and will also be available at LC1, parishes and mosques in due course.

The Africa CRVS Day is a special day for Africans to celebrate their heritage, particularly with regard to the recognition of the legal identity from birth to death of all persons, and the affirmation of key human and civil rights, including the right to recognition under the law, the right to participate in society and the economy, and the right to access social services.

These rights and civil liberties are founded on and strengthened by well-functioning civil registration and vital statistics systems that are inclusive, permanent, continuous, compulsory and confidential in their nature.