More than 200 children born in South Africa have returned to Uganda under the government’s voluntary repatriation programme, as authorities move to register returnees for national identity cards to support their resettlement.
The latest group of evacuees arrived on Thursday night, July 9th, 2026, when the sixth and final flight under Phase I of the evacuation exercise landed at Entebbe International Airport carrying 219 Ugandan nationals from South Africa.
Their arrival brings the total number to 1,102 Ugandans repatriated from South Africa, following a wave of xenophobic attacks that forced many migrants to seek government-assisted return home under the first phase of the operation.
Government officials said all returnees are being taken through orientation and rehabilitation at the National Leadership Institute (NALI) in Kyankwanzi before they are reunited with their families and communities.
As part of efforts to ease reintegration, the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) set up a registration centre at the institute on Thursday, to enroll returnees who do not possess national identity cards.
Officials said the exercise is particularly important for children born in South Africa, many of whom returned without Ugandan identification documents, as well as adults who had either never registered or had lost access to their records while abroad.
The registration drive is expected to help returnees access public services and facilitate their formal resettlement once they leave the rehabilitation centre.
The voluntary repatriation programme was launched by the Ugandan government in response to escalating xenophobic violence in parts of South Africa that left many Ugandan migrants stranded and fearful for their safety. The first batch of 273 Ugandan nationals evacuated from South Africa arrived at Entebbe International Airport on July 3rd, 2026, at 2:00 a.m.
Government has not yet announced whether a second phase of the repatriation exercise will be undertaken, but officials say support services for those already returned remain a priority as the country manages one of its largest recent evacuation efforts involving Ugandan migrants abroad.
