Passport applicants fleeced money for photos

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Hundreds of passport applicants have been fleeced money for photos.

Wampewo Police Post and Jinja Road Police Station receive several cases of people being defrauded outside the immigration offices at the Ministry of Internal Affairs at Port Bell Road.

Simon Peter Mundeyi the Spokesperson for the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control (DCIC) says sometimes fraudsters collect as much as three million shillings in a single day from unwanted passport photos.

Juliet Okrut, a private security guard nearly missed out on an appointment for a passport after being hoodwinked by fraudsters that she needed passport photos before entering the immigration premises.

Okrut was collected from the queue alongside over 80 others by men who asked them whether they had passport photos and those who did not have them were removed from the queue and directed to City Abattoir to get them.

“When we went to get the passport photos, we found many others and we had to queue up to get help. By the time I got the passport photos, it was almost late. I was however shocked that I did not need the passport photos to process my passport because my pictures were taken by immigration officers,” Okrut said.

Okrut added that the immigration officials had told her it was too late and she pleaded for mercy because it was the only off day she had been given by her employer. “They asked me what had delayed me and I told them I was processing the passport photos. I was told that they did not need them yet I had spent 10,000 shillings and lost a lot of time,” she added.

Mundeyi said that last week fraudsters went and removed more than 300 passport applicants from the queues and took them to the City Abattoir to process their passport photos yet they are not needed. This, according to Mundeyi frustrates applicants’ appointment time and many end up missing out.

“Fraudsters are now applying scaremongering tactics. They tell them that without passports you’ll never get a passport. They move around telling applicants that they need passport photos. They see people lining up and they recently horded over 300 all to the Abattoir and charged them each 10,000 shillings for passport photos which we do not need,” Mundeyi said.

According to DCIC, ever since it started issuing electronic passports, no applicant is requested to present his or her passport photos. Immigration said passport photos are taken by their officers for purposes of uniformity on photo resolution and required features.

“We want to urge those who are not informed that ever since we started issuing electronic passports, photos have been taken by our officers in the passport centres using hi-tech cameras. We have state-of-the-art cameras that take photographs accepted by our system. You do not need to carry the physical form bearing passport photos,” Mundeyi said.

Applicants have been urged to always note their application ID number and their appointment dates. Even payment receipts are not needed because once one applies online and receives an appointment, it means he or she has already paid the required fee.

“We do not require you to come with a physical national ID. If you can tell us your NIN that is enough. The passport application system is integrated with NIRA and URA. You do not need to come with the payment receipt. The system will flag your name if you have not paid. You will not be able to get an appointment if you have not paid,” Mundeyi added.

To reduce fraudsters, DCIC has decided to deploy covert officers to save unsuspecting applicants from falling prey to immigration masqueraders.

Last year, more than 200 people were arrested and charged for defrauding unsuspecting passport applicants.

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