A total of 35 Ugandan fathers have petitioned the Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, seeking to expunge data on their children’s paternity.

Simon Peter Mundeyi, the Ministry’s spokesperson, while addressing the weekly security media briefing held at Naguru Police Headquarters on Monday, June 26th 2023, said the demand by fathers seeking to remove bio-data of some of their children from their passport details is on the increase.

Mundeyi advised such men to file the request through the National Identification and Registration Authority since it’s the primary holder of the data of all the citizens of Uganda.

“I advise you to follow the right procedure through NIRA. As the Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control, we are not the custodian of any data. I’m sorry to disappoint such men because they have already been disappointed,” said Mundeyi.

Without revealing the list, Mundeyi said they have been receiving telephone calls inquiring on the procedure to expunge their particulars from those of children who had previously reflected them as fathers.

He attributed the skyrocketing number of people seeking DNA tests to a lack of trust and suspicion among couples.

Cases of DNA tests turning out negative in Uganda have been rampant, and According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, a DNA test for three samples (Mother, father, and child) costs around UGX 750,000.

According to statistics from the government analytical lab under the Ministry of Internal Affairs, 80% of the results are negative.