NEWS- The Government of Uganda through the Ministry of Internal Affairs has announced that Ugandans arriving from abroad have the option to utilise the self-clearance gates at Entebbe International Airport.
This was revealed today by the Ministry of Internal Affairs Spokesman, Simon Mundeyi, who however said that there is widespread apprehension among many Ugandans regarding the use of such technology.
While addressing journalists during a weekly press briefing held at Police Headquarters in Naguru today February 12th 2024, Mundeyi emphasized that the E-gates designed for the self-clearance of Ugandans are now operational and functioning effectively and stressed that their convenience is that these gates eliminate the need for queuing and waiting to be processed by Immigration Officers.
Mundeyi explained that the advanced technology integrated into the E-gate machines at Entebbe InternationalAirport is tailored specifically to expedite the clearance process for Ugandans possessing E-passports and he encouraged Ugandans to adopt this technology, since it’s efficienct, saves time and minimize errors.
Mundeyi emphasized that the E-gates are exclusively for Ugandans arriving in back home with the only condition being that one must possess a new electronic passport which contains a chip housing all the holder’s personal data, which is read by the machines.
He also said that the holder will also be required to provide fingerprints and undergo facial scanning for authentication and verification of the data on the passport chip.
He however noted that although the system is fully operational, many Ugandans are yet to use it despite its time-saving benefits because Ugandans prefer interacting with people rather than machines, but these machines are available at multiple points, often left unused as people queue at Immigration Officer points.
“It’s essential to emphasize that this system was specifically designed for Ugandan citizens,” Mundeyi emphasized.
Mundeyi stated that as of last week, the passport office had issued a total of 1,346,560 passports since the introduction of the Electronic Passport in 2018, including both paper-based and Polycarbonate passports and this figure indicates that out of Uganda’s population of 45 million, only approximately 1.3 million Ugandans possess passports.
He explained that the relatively low number of passport holders could be attributed to the fact that many Ugandans only apply for passports when they have a specific reason, such as travel or employment abroad.
Despite significant government investment in passport technology, the anticipated surge in passport applications has not materialized, leading to a reduction in the number of applicants.
He said that previously, the passport office used to issue over 3,000 passports per day during and after COVID-19 pandemic, but currently the number of passport applicants has drastically declined to less than 1,000 applicants daily and consequently, applicants for express passports now receive appointments in less than 30 minutes, with issuance within two days, while ordinary passports are processed within 10 days.
