Government has been asked to justify its decision to require religious institutions to ask for National Identification Numbers (NIN) from couples before marrying them off. 

This comes after the Kalungu West MP Joseph Ssewungu Gonzaga raised concern on the matter in Parliament’s plenary session on Wednesday and the intention of the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) which issued this directive.

Ssewungu questioned the applicability of this policy, considering Uganda has various forms of marriage which include the religious marriages done on churches and mosques, civil marriage and traditional marriage among others. 

In response, the Speaker of Parliament Anita Annet Among who chaired the plenary session directed the Government to provide a statement by Thursday clarifying on the matter and explain the rationale behind this decision.

This followed a statement released by the Uganda Episcopal Conference Secretariat at Nsambya on Saturday September 28th 2024, in which all Archbishops and Bishops of the Catholic Church were directed to consider National Identity Cards as a requirement for all couples solemnizing marriage.

This followed a directive from the URSB asking the Church to have all couples present their national IDs if they want a valid Church marriage.

By Francis Lubega

2nd October 2024

END