Museveni advisor, Internal Affairs officials meet over e-Visas to Uganda

The Senior Presidential Advisor on Diaspora Affairs, Ambassador Abbey Walusimbi has held talks with the Director for Citizenship and Immigration Control in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Gen Apollo Gowa Kasiita over the issuance of e-visa to travelers to Uganda.

The talks were held at the latter’s office in Kampala as efforts by Amb. Walusimbi to push for easing the process of issuing e-visas to foreign visitors, investors, tourists and diasporas to Uganda.

The visit to the Ministry of Internal Affairs also follows intended plans by government to ban issuance of visas at entry points as well as Embassies by encouraging all travelers to make use of e-visas.

The two shared information received from independent sources, about a number of online companies that have allegedly been defrauding both Ugandans and other people that want to get into the country in the name of giving them e- visas, only to get to the airport and they can’t go beyond immigration.

In response, Gen Gowa said that the ministry has already put in place a counter plan to ensure that such activities are dealt with.

“We have designed a website that will be used by everyone intending to enter Uganda to apply for and be issued with authentic e-visas in a timely manner and this will be up and running by end of this month,” he said.

The Director for Citizenship and Immigration Control added that government is trying to narrow channels through which unscrupulous people are getting into the country, adding that they Amb.Walusimbi also noted  that one of the reasons people find it hard to get visas is because guidelines are clear and consequently difficult to be  understood by most people.

In response, Gen Gowa noted,“ Government is soon embarking on a video recording campaign that gives applicants a step by step guide to getting the e-Visa to Uganda in different languages. These will soon be posted to the different digital media platforms used by all the relevant government stakeholders.”

The senior presidential advisor  also  appealed to the ministry and respective embassies to set up 24hour WhatsApp lines, Emails and other easy to access platforms that are used by the diaspora in different countries so as to cater for the time differences, in a bid to efficiently serve the people who want to come into the country for business or acquire e-Visas and other travel documents and National IDs.

Walusimbi also raised the issue of the Yellow fever vaccination requirement for people coming into the country advising that those coming in from countries that have no access to the vaccine should be allowed to have it the airport.