Friday , November 8 2024

MPs ask gov’t for detailed phase out plan of ordinary passports

FILE PHOTO: Passport

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | MPs have asked government to put in place a detailed plan of phasing out the ordinary passports.

During the 17th Ordinary Summit of the East African Community (EAC) Heads of State held in March 2016, the Presidents launched the new EAC e-Passport and directed that issuance of the passports should take effective 1st January 2017 followed by a phased suspension of the readable East African and National Passports in a period of two years.

Doreen Amule Ruth, the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Defense in her report to the house recommended that Government should come out with a detailed transitional plan to phase out the regular machine-readable passport for the e-passport.

Amule says several Ugandans acquired new regular passports after paying 100,000 to 400,000 shillings.

She says that the new passports should not hurt the people, but should actually enhance service delivery. Amule says there have been numerous complaints on the new passports and how to phase out the old passports.

Meanwhile, Parliament has also approved an additional 67 billion shillings for the purchase of 300,000 blank e-passport booklets.

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Government has already signed a contract to provide a Turnkey solution for an e-Passport System/infrastructure, supply of blank e-Passport booklets and construction of a fully furnished Personalization Centre at the Internal Affairs Ministry Headquarters.

According to Internal Affairs Minister Mario Obiga Kania, up to 1,000 passport are issued daily by immigration.

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One comment

  1. I don’t know why Ugandan things r always fake.
    I applied for the ordinary passport but its two months now l have not yet received it yet there are others who have applied for the same ordinary passports recently have received theirs.
    We always suffer in our own country as if we r not Ugandans

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