Immigration spokesperson Simon Peter Mundeyi showing a passport
By George Bukenya
A total of thirty girls aiming at going abroad for greener pasture have been conned of UGX 15 million in disguise of passport processing.
These girls according to the Immigration spokesperson Simon Peter Mundeyi, they were collected from various parts of the central Region in a Mini Bus and brought by the perpetrator known as Edward Nsubuga to Immigration offices along Jinja Road last week.
While addressing reporters at Naguru Police Headquarters, Mundeyi said that the girls explained that each paid to Nsubuga UGX 500,000 for purposes of processing passports for them and as they were planning to go and work in Middle East as promised by the perpetrator.
He also said that these young women became stuck because they didn’t have money for transporting them back to their respective homes after Nsubuga who is on the run abandon them and Immigration Department assisted them with transport funds.
“We saw a group of young ladies stranded at our office claiming they had come to collect their passports but upon interrogation by our officers it was discovered that they had actually never applied for passports,” Mundeyi said.
“ Our officers are doing anything possible to see that Nsubuga is arrested to face charges of obtaining money by false pretense.’’ He said.
Mundeyi however cautioned people to stop using the third party (broker) while applying for passports saying the system is easy to use one just need to Google using www.passport…and login go to registration and fill in details such your mother and father names, Districts and others as outlined in the e-registration form.
After registration, one is required to pay the official fees of UGX 250,000 for the ordinary passport and the payment procedure according to the Immigration spokesperson has also been made convenient were one can pay using his/ her mobile phone like paying for other Utilities and such fees is paid directly to URA accounts as its appears on the payment as one places *165# for MTN and *185# for Airtel users.
He also informed reporters that a total of 9, 000 passports have been returned to Immigration offices by some labor exporting companies after the owners failed to turn up for them.
Meanwhile the Ministry has made changes in the Uganda’s Immigration attach officers in the different country’s Embassies. Senior Immigration have been allocated to replace those who have been serving for eight years and these include, Igara Patrick posted to Washington DC, Potevu Cesare (UAE), Amaro Lilian Catherine (Oyao Canada), Musimenta Gloria (Cophehen, Denmark), Emmanuel Anthony (London, UK) and Mwesigwa Juliet Kibuko (Pretoria South Africa).
Mundeyi also said that these will take their new assignment with effect August 1st,2024 and the outgoing Immigration attach will be given other assignments here.