Parliament has approved the proposal to have the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) take over the registration of civil marriages from the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB). This was confirmed during the sitting on Thursday.
Despite a section of MPs expressing concerns over the proposal, as they wondered if the current disruptions at Kololo Independence Grounds to pave the way to host state functions will not leave many couples seeking to have civil marriage ceremonies stranded, it was recommended that the transfer should be done in a phased manner to allow NIRA to build capacity.
The MPs urged NIRA and URSB to coordinate the transfer of functions to ensure that functions are transferred to NIRA only when NIRA has obtained the capacity to deliver on the new mandate.
Parliament also approved NIRA’s additional budget of Shs20 billion, which will be used to acquire new office space and leave Kololo Independence Grounds.
Civil marriages are governed by the Marriage Act. The Registrar General is gazetted as the Registrar of Marriages for Kampala, whereas the Chief Administrative Officers are gazetted as the Registrars of Marriages for districts outside Kampala.