The Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control of Uganda has directed Labor Export companies to return 8,000 passports that have been held illegally from rightful owners.

The Immigration Spokesperson, Simon Mundeyi while addressing the presser on October 3, 2023, said that, Labor Export companies should return 8,000 passports back to the rightfully owners or else an operation will be carried out to retrieve the illegally held passports.

This is after an investigation was done and it was discovered that, many companies are holding people’s passports illegally, and one company is holding 2,000 passports of job-seekers abroad.

He added that, 8,000 passports were held forcefully and being used to get contracts from the Arab countries yet the company owners come back to demand money from the same job seekers even after securing the contracts.

However, this practice by private export companies has continued to frustrate Ugandans seeking to leave the country for green pastures or as casual laborers through labor companies.

“We are not going to hesitate to carry out an operation in trying to retrieve these passports that were held forcefully by these companies,” Mundeyi said.

According to Ugandan Law,  any person who without lawful authority, issues, renews, distributes or has in his or her possession any passport or other travel document, commits an offense and is liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding fifty thousand shillings or to a term of imprisonment not exceeding two years or to both.