500 Ugandans stranded abroad return at weekend as repatriation resumes 

The government has said they are resuming repatriation exercise for Ugandans stranded abroad due to Covid-19 pandemic, with 500 people expected to return this weekend.

A number of Ugandans who are stuck abroad say they are facing bottomless distress over the delayed repatriation. 

Mr Blanshe Musinguzi, one of the Ugandans stranded in the United States of America in a social media post on July 3 said he was shocked that even after paying $2,200 (Shs8.1m) for quarantine, the government suspended the repatriation.

"....I packed my bags to go home on March 23, to date, they are still packed. I live through uncertainty and emotional distress every day and I have not been able to do anything constructive for more than three months," he said in the post.

"I am enormously dismayed by the letter circulating around that government has suspended repatriation of Ugandans. As someone who has fulfilled all the requirements to go home on July 14, I don't see any reason why I should accept pushing the date ahead. I have already paid more than $2,200 (Shs8.1m) in fulfilment of the rigid SOPs that you sent us," Musinguzi said.

The repatriation was suspended two weeks ago after the quarantine centres for returnees got overwhelmed, a time when Ugandans who are stuck in foreign countries are crying in helplessness.

All returnees are undergoing mandatory quarantine for two weeks. The designated facilities can accommodate only 300 returnees every two weeks but were said to be full.

Government has not yet increased the capacity of facilities to accommodate more returnees.

In the press statement Daily Monitor got from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday, the ministry will resume the repatriation on Saturday this week.

"The repatriation exercise of Ugandans stranded abroad due to the Covid-19 pandemic is set to resume. This exercise has been halted by the Ministry of Health for a period of two weeks to enable proper quarantining of returnees who had so far arrived in the county," the statement read.

On Saturday, July 18, there will be a repatriation flight from Washington D.C in the USA and another one from Doha -Qatar in the Middle East.

On Sunday July 19, there will be a repatriation flight from Ottawa, Canada.

The Ministry said additional flights will be communicated after the above.

Mr Patrick Mugoya, the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told Daily Monitor yesterday that they are engaging with the Ministry of Health to increase quarantine capacity for returnees.

"There are many people stranded out there. We are in consultation with the Ministry of Health [to increase the capacity of quarantine facilities]. The ministry has allocated to us facility that can accommodate 300 returnees every two weeks," he said.

"Around 500 people will be repatriated. We have 2015 from the United States of America, 88 from Canada," he said, adding that the rest are from Qatar, Middle East.

Earlier, Mr Mugoya told this newspaper that the government is basing on the readiness of the people abroad and the carrying capacity of quarantine sites in the country to determine the number that should be returned in a given time.

Mr Mugoya said the stranded Ugandans are paying for the flight fare, but that government is catering for quarantine costs for those who are unable to pay.

“Our missions abroad are organising people who should be returned and others are individual efforts such as those who returned from Afghanistan who organised themselves and got clearance from the government,” he said.

“We are also taking advantage of flights coming to repatriate people from Uganda such as that which was coming from South Sudan. We make them bring Ugandans who are stranded there,” he added.

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