The government has appointed 57 new immigration officers to be deployed at various immigration points across the country, leaving out over 13,650 applicants for similar positions.

The new officers were appointed at the ministry of internal affairs in a ceremony presided over by the Commissioner Passport & Citizenship Contol Brig. Johnson Namanya.

In his remarks Brig. Namanya emphasized commitment to service delivery and encouraged the officers to uphold integrity before sending them to an induction course.

According to the ministry, the selected officers will undergo an induction course at Kabalye police training school to learn the basics, patriotism and other ingredients that shall be determined by instructors.

Speaking to the press, Simon Mundeyi, the ministry spokesperson, pointed out that the new recruits were chosen from a recent recruitment exercise that received 13750 applications from the 25 positions advertised.

"This figures mean that for each job that was advertised got 420 applicants which indicates a high level of unemployment we have in this country," he said

He consoled those who were not chosen, promising that the ministry still has a manpower gap of up to 350 people and that more jobs will be advertised soon.

He stated that the new staff will increase manpower at various immigration points as the ministry seeks more from the government because the ministry only has about 650 immigration officers out of the 1000 required.

"We appeal to government to enable us acquire more 350 immigration officers so that we address the manpower gap," he emphasized