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The Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control (DCICI) of Uganda has deployed six new immigration attachés to its foreign missions in Washington DC, London, Ottawa, Abu Dhabi, Copenhagen, and Pretoria. These officers, including Patrick Igera, Catherine Lillian Amalo, and Anthony Emmanuel Oriam, are replacing previous heads whose contracts have ended.

The Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control (DCICI) has deployed six new immigration attaches at Uganda’s foreign missions including Washington DC in USA, London in the UK capital London and Ottawa in Canada.

Patrick Igera who has been serving at Entebbe International Airport has been deployed as the new immigration attaché for Washington, Catherine Lillian Amalo is the new immigration attaché for Ottawa and has been serving at Entebbe airport while Anthony Emmanuel Oriam is the new immigration attaché for London and has been serving at DCIC headquarters at ministry of internal affairs, in Kampala.

Others deployed are Caesar Poteri who has also been serving at Entebbe airport and will serve as the new immigration attaché for Abu-Dhabi the capital of United Arab Emirates (UAE), Gloria Musiimenta who has been serving at Mpondwe border and has been appointed immigration attaché in Demark’s capital Copenhagen and Juliet Mwesiga who is the new immigration attaché for South Africa’s capital Pretoria.

Simon Peter Mundeyi explained that the six are replacing Ugandans who have been serving as heads of the immigration and passport collection centres in the same cities but their contracts have ended and they will officially return to Uganda in August.

“We urge Ugandans living in these cities and countries to note these changes so that they are not affected, the appointed persons will officially take over their duties at the end of August and the people they are replacing will be returning home,” Mundeyi said.

Although Uganda has immigration offices and passport collection centres in these cities, Ugandans who have lost their passports cannot apply for replacement using these offices but have to first return home to show proof that indeed their travel documents got lost.

DCIC announced the decision to deny Ugandans the option to replace lost passports in their cities abroad two months ago, saying they had received several reports from various countries that Ugandans were selling their passports to criminals like drug traffickers and other criminals for $5,000 (about Shs 18 million).

According to DCIC, only Ugandans seeking renewal of their expired passports can apply through immigration offices in cities like Washington, London, Ottawa, Copenhagen, Abu Dhabi, and Pretoria. However, anyone seeking renewal of the passport must present the original copy of the expired one.