NIRA office in Adjumani overwhelmed by national ID collection rush

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The National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) office in Adjumani district is facing overwhelming crowds as hundreds of residents turn up daily to collect their renewed national identity cards.

According to data from the National Identification and Registration Authority released in October 2025, 27,000 national IDs were ready for issuance in Adjumani, but residents had not responded at the time.

Long queues have now become the norm at the office, with residents arriving as early as 7:00 am in the hope of spending less time retrieving their IDs. Despite the early turnout, many are forced to wait for hours due to the slow process.

"I came to pick up my ID very early in the morning, only to find the whole place congested. The process is extremely slow, and people are wasting a lot of time waiting. I think NIRA needs to employ more staff to handle the situation," said Norbert Vukoni.

Mahad Lemi, another resident of Adjumani town council, also expressed frustration after failing to pick up his ID despite turning up three times due to congestion.

"I kept checking at the office three times because I also had to continue running my business, but still couldn't succeed as the number was big, it would be better if the IDs are distributed to the sub-counties for easy disbursement," Lemi suggested.

In response, Fred Balaba, the NIRA district registration officer, acknowledged the congestion at the office. He assured residents that efforts are being made to serve everyone but called for patience as officials work to manage the situation.

"There is a bit of increased workload at the office lately, but we are trying our level best to ensure that every one is served. The situation is being handled to maintain order so please be patient," Balaba said.