Government endorses private  travel company to repatriate Ugandans in US, Canada

Government has sought services of a private international  travel company to help in the repatriation of Ugandans stranded in the US and Canada.

According to statement by Uganda’s Ambassador to the US, Mull Sebujja Katende, government has approved Satguru Travel company to arrange a special repatriation flight for Ugandans stranded in the US and Canada due to the current Coronavirus pandemic.

“Ugandan Embassies in North America (Uganda Embassy in Washington D.C, Uganda Permanent Mission to the U.N in New York and Uganda High Commission in Ottawa) are working with International Travel Company Satguru Travel to arrange a special repatriation flight operated by Ethiopian Airlines for registered stranded Nationals of Uganda, non-Ugandan resident permit holders and dependent passes,”the statement by Katende reads in part.

According to the statement, the  Ethiopian Airlines flight will fly out of Dulles International Airport (IAD) on Tuesday, July , 14, 2020 14th at 16.00 hrs whereas Ugandans in Canada, South America and the Caribbean would depart either on July 13 or 15, 2020 on different flights.

“ If you are registered with the Uganda Embassies in Washington DC, New York or Ottawa and are interested in departing the United States for Uganda, consider booking these flights now. Contact person - Mr. Mukesh Kr Sahu Mobile/Whatsapp - +1(202)2270359 (24 Hours ) Email- mukesh.sahu@satgurutravel.com.”

The Ambassador in the statement says the pricing, availability of of space and cancellations of the flights will be constrolled by the airline.

Requirements, deadline for booking

Ugandans willing to flight back using the company have been asked to book by July,5, 2020 and that after the deadline of the confirmation, travellers will be advised by the travel agent to py their respective fares.

“Interested parties should verify that their passports and other documentation are current and valid for at least six months from today’s date. For one-way Uganda Emergency Travel Certificate please send an email to the Immigration Attaches in your area.”

Travelers have also been told that the travel company has several offices around the world and that they can choose any mode of payment they would like to use.

“Passengers can pay in the US by cheque, ATM deposit, wire/online transfer or through Zelle, or in cash at Satguru Travel offices in Kampala, Entebbe or Jinja in Uganda and at their offices in Washington, DC in the U.S. For travelers in hard-to-reach areas, the agent will provide bank account details as per your preferred mode of payment. Any other mode of payment can be discussed with the travel agent,”the statement adds.

Quarantine, testing

Government recently said all returning Ugandans will be quarantined for a period of 14 days after arrival at Entebbe International Airport.

In the latest statement, the Ugandan Ambassador to the US says that travellers will have to indicate to the travel agent their preferred quarantine location while making the bookings.

“Whereas in the U.S, the conditions for acquiring a Covid-19 test on demand differ by state, there are some testing centers that have been rolled out by the Department of Health and Human Services. Please try to locate one near you using the HHS website Please note that this is a basic requirement in the SOPs.”

The Ambassador says the Embassy is not able to waive the requirement of testing for any interested traveler.

Cabinet recently approved the return of 2300 Ugandans stranded abroad.

Earlier this week,  the first batch of Ugandan returned home from Sudan, Belgium and Netherlands.

The State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Henry Okello Oryem  explained that starting this week, more Ugandans stranded abroad are expected to return home including 70 from South Africa (June 25),200 from United Arab Emirates, 180 from Afghanistan, 134 from US and 120 from India.