Births, marriages and identity: Kololo buzzes as NIRA expo opens

KAMPALA - Kololo Ceremonial Grounds is alive as Ugandans move from tent to tent seeking different identity-related services, as the first day of the three-day My Identity Expo and Symposium 2026 gets underway.

Organised by the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA), the expo has brought a range of identity services under one roof, giving members of the public an opportunity to access them free of charge, while also learning more about birth registration, national identification and other civil registration services.

From one tent to another, visitors lined up to seek assistance, register births, obtain documents and get information, while pupils from primary schools added a cultural touch to the event through poems, traditional dances and other performances centred on identity.

Among the activities taking place at the expo are mass birth registration and vaccination, NIRA registration services, cultural performances by primary school pupils and marriage registration, with members of the public receiving services and guidance from NIRA officials. (All Photos by Miriam Namutebi)

Among the activities taking place at the expo are mass birth registration and vaccination, NIRA registration services, cultural performances by primary school pupils and marriage registration, with members of the public receiving services and guidance from NIRA officials.

For Alex Mwanda, a music teacher at Nakivubo Primary School, the expo is also an opportunity to use children to take the message about identity to the wider public.

Mwanda said he had brought pupils to present a poem on birth registration and perform a traditional folk dance as part of the school’s contribution to sensitising the public about the importance of identity.

“We have come to sensitise the public about my identity,” Mwanda said.

He said he expects the expo to attract many members of the community who can take advantage of the opportunity to get assistance and accurate information about identity services in one place.

Mwanda described the expo as an effective platform for sensitisation, saying public awareness is important in helping people understand progress and developments in identity registration.

For visitors like Missa Nakazibwa from Nantabulirwa, the expo is more than an awareness event; it is an opportunity to address several registration needs at once.

Nakazibwa came to have National Identification Numbers (NINs) obtained for her five children, register three grandchildren and secure their birth certificates. She also came to register her son’s marriage.

By the time she spoke, she said she had already achieved what she came for.

“I got all the certificates and letters,” Nakazibwa said. She said the availability of the services at no cost was particularly important to people in communities where accessing original documents can sometimes be difficult.

“In our villages, sometimes we buy them from LCs, giving you photocopies, but everything here is free of charge, and you get original documents,” she said.

The scenes at Kololo reflect the broader aim of the expo of bringing identity services, information and public engagement together in one place, while highlighting the role identity plays in accessing services and establishing an individual’s legal identity.

As the three-day expo continues, more members of the public are expected to visit the grounds to access services, seek information and participate in activities celebrating Uganda’s identity and culture.

The expo, which will conclude on October 1, is sponsored by MTN Uganda, Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), Uganda Revenue Authority (URA), National Information Technology Authority – Uganda (NITA-U), Tahaluf and Bank of Uganda.