Immigration burns 158,000 unclaimed passports

More than 98% of the destroyed passports were ordinary ones, which cost 250,000 shillings. Mundeyi noted that the destruction became necessary after the DCI ran out of storage space for the unclaimed documents

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control (DCI) has destroyed 158,000 unclaimed passports, valued at 39.5 billion shillings. According to Simon Peter Mundeyi, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Internal Affairs, many Ugandans applied for and paid for their passports but failed to claim them.

Mundeyi explained that despite sending numerous invitations to citizens to pick up their passports, the response has been minimal. This lack of interest led to the decision to destroy the unclaimed passports.

More than 98% of the destroyed passports were ordinary ones, which cost sh250,000. Mundeyi noted that the destruction became necessary after the DCI ran out of storage space for the unclaimed documents. He also warned that more passports are likely to be destroyed in the future.

“We currently have over 12,580 processed passports that have not been claimed. We’ve been sending messages inviting their owners to collect them, but if they don’t show up, they will definitely be destroyed as well,” Mundeyi said.

The majority of the passports in question were applied for between 2017 and 2020, when the DCI phased out the old black passports for ordinary citizens. Many Ugandans rushed to apply, driven by false information that those who didn’t apply within that time frame would be unable to obtain a passport in the future.

In addition, many Ugandans who lost their jobs during the COVID-19 lockdown applied for passports with the hope of securing employment abroad, but these opportunities didn’t materialize. The situation worsened due to restrictions imposed by Saudi Arabia on labor export companies after reports of Ugandans being exploited, killed, or trafficked into sex slavery in the Gulf country.

The DCI also reported that labor export companies whose documents were found to have irregularities were banned by Saudi Arabia from sending Ugandans abroad. As a result, these companies have been stuck with more than 60,000 unclaimed passports, which have been returned to the DCI.

“We also have about 60,000 passports that were returned by labor export companies after they failed to send Ugandans for external employment. These passports remain valid and many will be valid until 2023. We urge Ugandans who were unable to travel to come and collect their passports,” Mundeyi added.

Peter Sekyomu, a former driver in Dubai, shared his experience. He had applied for a passport but lost his job during the pandemic and couldn’t return to Dubai due to the lockdown. “I had paid for the passport, but by the time travel restrictions were lifted, I had already lost my job. It took more than three years before I was able to pick up my passport. Now, I’m looking for a driver job in Uganda because returning to Dubai is very difficult,” Sekyomu said.

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