Ugandans query e-visa system amid delays, claims of bribery

Travellers at the departure lounge at Entebbe International Airport on October 1, 2020. A section of Ugandans with foreign passports have complained of delays and in some cases outright bribery in processing and issuance of the visas to Uganda. PHOTO/ABUBAKER LUBOWA. 

What you need to know:

  • A section of Ugandans with British passports have since raised questions about the effectiveness of online visa application system.

A section of Ugandans with British passports have raised the red flag about excessive delays, and in some cases, outright bribery in processing and issuance of visas using the online application system.

The Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control of Uganda suspended issuing visas on arrival at Entebbe International Airport following the outbreak of Covid-19 in 2020. But more than a year since the issuing of visas on arrival was suspended, a section of Ugandans say their planned visits home have been frustrated by undue delays in obtaining visas.

The situation, Sunday Monitor has learnt, is being exploited by some officials at both Uganda’s High Commission in London, UK, and those in the Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control at the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Kampala.

Sources within the Ugandan community in London claim the officials take bribes from visa applicants for purposes of expediting the processing of their visa requests. The sources also say the delays in processing and issuing of visa’s are the handwork of a cartel of officials in the two departments.

The source revealed that whereas the official cost of a visa is $50 (about Shs180,000), officials involved in the scam have been demanding for up to £100 (about Shs476,000) in order to process the visa. 

But Mr Jacob Siminyu, the spokesperson of the Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control at the Ministry of Internal Affairs, dismissed talk of a cartel. He said the speed at which visas are processed does not leave room for demands for bribes.

“They should point us to where the cartels are, but if a visa is taking three days to process, where would a cartel move in to demand for money from (the applicants)?” Mr Siminyu said. 
In similar manner, Uganda’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Mr Julius Peter Moto, dismissed accusations of corruption against officials.

“It is not true that London Mission asks for bribes in order to process visa applications because the e-visa system is a transparent system, where all payments are done online, which can be seen by The Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control,” Mr Moto said in an email to Sunday Monitor.

Delays in processing
Whereas Mr Siminyu told Sunday Monitor that processing of visas takes about three days, a Ugandan with a British passport said some of the applications have taken up to three months without obtaining the necessary approvals.

“Uganda changed the visa issuance system. You cannot enter Uganda from the UK without obtaining an entry visa, but the system is not working. Ugandans and non-Ugandans holding British passports and other foreign passports are facing very long waiting time, sometimes up to three months and more before they can get a visa,” said the Ugandan who spoke to Sunday Monitor on condition that he is not named.

Mr Siminyu says if there were ever any delays, they only could have happened when travel restrictions were in place due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Those who are saying it takes three months or even more could be referring to the Covid-19 (lockdown) period when there was no processing of visas. Otherwise, we have put up a team to see that visas are processed and approved or rejected and a decision taken on time,” Mr Siminyu told Sunday Monitor.

Sunday Monitor has, however, seen copies of feedback sent to applicants from the electronic application system that suggests that some of the applications had been submitted after the lockdown and travel restrictions to Entebbe had been lifted.

Applications filed by one Nuru Mohammed Muhudin and another by one Ali Ahmed Shahbal on November 13, had not been processed by November 19, prompting Mr Ahmed Shahbal to file a formal petition with Uganda’s High Commission in London. 

Mr Shahbal brought to the attention of Mr Moto the fact that he had applied for a visa to attend his niece’s wedding, but that the application was deferred pending the attachment of a letter from the chairperson of the village where the wedding was to take place. By press time, more than two weeks after he submitted the LC’s letter, the application had not been processed.

“Why is it taking up to a month to complete applications that can take minutes to process? What steps are being taken to improve the standards of service? Is it unacceptable to use minimum standards as a target?” Mr Shahbal wrote.

Mr Moto acknowledged in an email to Sunday Monitor that some applications take longer to process mostly due to security considerations.

“Some applications take a longer time to be approved due to extra due diligence as required by the security… For countries of security interests to Uganda, London Mission and all Uganda Missions abroad do not have any right to override the decisions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. That is why some applications take longer than the recommended time frame,” Mr Moto noted.

Skipping Uganda visa
Our source within the Ugandan community told Sunday Monitor that in order to beat the delays that come with applying for a visa to visit Uganda, most people have resorted to applying for the East African Tourist Visa through Kenya’s High Commission in London.

East African tourist visas, which would allow British passport holders entry into Uganda, can be issued by the missions of Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Kenya and Burundi. 

Mr Shahbal, in his letter to Mr Moto, indicated that he too opted to apply for an East African tourist visa which was processed by Kenya’s High Commission in London within only 24 hours. Sunday Monitor could not independently verify these claims.

“I decided to apply for the East African Tourists visa through Kenya’s High Commission, which I received within 24 hours. Would the Ugandan government prefer us to use other ways of obtaining visit visas to get into the country?” Mr Shahbal wondered.

Mr Shahbal argues that besides turning off would-be visitors, Uganda is also losing income as would-be visa applicants apply for visas through other missions. But Mr Moto insists that the country’s visa regime must be adhered to.

“Uganda is a sovereign State and her visa regimes should be respected by holders of foreign passports who plan to travel to Uganda,” he insists.

Unnecessary demands
One of the Ugandans resident in London, who talked to Sunday Monitor, also accused the Ugandan immigration authorities of making unnecessary demands of the applicants.

He said requirements such as a letter from the chairperson of the village that one is likely to visit or proof of hotel accommodation are sometimes unnecessary. 

He said there have been cases where applicants who had filed invitation letters from families, which had indicated that they would be hosting the visitors, have been asked to submit proof of hotel bookings, which defeats the purpose of the invitation letters from the hosting families.

Those involved in the processing of visas have in some cases been accused of making unrealistic decisions such as granting infants visas while denying their guardians and parents with whom they are meant to travel the right to visit Uganda. 

It is something that Mr Shahbal alluded to in his letter to Mr Moto. 

But Mr Moto insists that the e-visa system is working well, adding that all queries can be addressed through the system.


Country by country Covid-19 resitrictions

Country on arrival & departure
Kenya on arrival: - Presentation of Covid-19 PCR -ve certificate & Health Surveillance QR code, - All arrivals expected to self-monitor and report daily, - Travellers screened on arrival & required to quarantine for 14 days if displaying symptoms of Covid-19 (at own cost).
- Passengers whose certificates expire whilst in transit need to leave their passport with the Port of Health Authorities & arrange testing in a recognised facility (at own cost).

On departure: PCR tests are not required unless specified by the airline/the country you are travelling to.

Rwanda on arrival: - Covid-19 PCR -ve certificate as outlined and your UHC form, - All travellers to complete a short health questionnaire. 
- All travellers arriving or transiting through Rwanda for more than 12 hours to be tested. Fully vaccinated travellers do not need to quarantine, whilst unvaccinated travellers will be required to wait 24 hrs for the results in a designated hotel.

On departure: - All travellers 5yrs+ must present a Covid -ve PCR certificate taken within 72hrs. 

Tanzania on arrival: - Airports: All travellers to complete a health form & will be screened for Covid-19,  - Travellers from listed countries must take an additional Covid-19 Rapid Antigen test at a cost, - Travellers testing +ve must isolate for 14 days or until they test -ve (RT-PCR test) & will be under strict surveillance procedures.

Uganda on arrival: - Presentation of Covid-19 -ve certificate & health screening, - Mandatory Covid-19 testing of all incoming passengers 6 years+. Travellers can continue to their home/hotel and wait for their test results there, - Those testing +ve but are asymptomatic or with mild symptoms can isolate in their hotel. Others will be transferred to a public treatment facility for 7 days & discharged after a -ve test. 
Passengers opting for a private hospital must cover their own costs.  

On departure: - All travellers must have a Covid-19 PCR test taken within 72hrs of travel.