The Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control has destroyed 158,000 unclaimed passports valued at nearly UGX 40 billion due to storage limitations, with thousands more set to follow.

According to Simon Mundeyi, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Internal Affairs, an additional 72,580 passports are lined up for destruction. Among these, 60,000 were returned by labor export companies that failed to deploy Ugandans abroad for work opportunities, commonly referred to as kyeyo.

The mass destruction of passports is part of an effort to decongest storage facilities and streamline passport management. Government has called on all affected passport holders to check with the Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control and collect their documents before the deadline.

Mundeyi also emphasized that the destruction process follows strict procedures to prevent misuse or fraud, reassuring the public that no personal information would be compromised.

The move has, however, raised concerns among some Ugandans, particularly those in the labor export sector, who question why so many passports were returned by recruitment firms. Some stakeholders have called for increased oversight on the labor export industry to prevent such wastage.

Uganda introduced e-passports in 2018 to replace the old machine-readable passports, with authorities emphasizing efficiency and security. However, with thousands of uncollected passports annually, questions remain about the accessibility and affordability of passport services, especially for those seeking employment abroad.

Passport Holders Urged to Act

With thousands of passports still uncollected, the Directorate urges individuals to track their applications and retrieve their documents on time. “We are giving a six-month grace period, and after that, they will be destroyed like the previous batch,” Mundeyi warned.