The Ugandan Directorate of Immigration is facing a storage crisis due to a significant backlog of uncollected passports. Over 50,000 passports, dating back to 2018, are sitting unclaimed across five centres in Kampala, Jinja, Gulu, Mbarara, and Mbale.
Spokesperson for the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Simon Mudenyi, expressed concern about the situation. The sheer volume of unclaimed passports is creating a storage crunch and hindering future processing efforts.
Communication hurdles are a major roadblock. Unreachable phone numbers and undelivered messages have made it difficult for immigration authorities to reach out to passport holders. This, coupled with the additional 2,000 unclaimed passports from 2024 so far, has exacerbated the problem.
To address the backlog and ensure efficient processing for new applicants, the public is urged to collect their passports promptly. Mudenyi emphasized that the claim process is straightforward and urged passport holders to come forward.
The Directorate of Immigration is actively working on improving communication channels to facilitate the retrieval of unclaimed passports. However, immediate action is crucial to prevent further strain on immigration resources.
