What you need to know:
- Applicants advised to confirm the status of services before travelling to the affected offices.
Ugandans seeking passports at the Kyambogo Passport Issuance Centre and Jinja Regional Passport Office face delays after a fibre cut disrupted services at the two facilities.
The National Citizenship and Immigration Control (NCIC) said on Thursday that the Kyambogo centre, formerly known as Face Technologies, was non-operational because of damage to its fibre connection.
The disruption has also affected the Jinja office, which is unable to personalise or issue passports.
Mr Simon Mundeyi, the Ministry of Internal Affairs spokesperson, said technical teams were working with service providers to restore the affected services.
“The ministry is making every effort to resolve the problem and resume normal operations. We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused and appreciate the public's patience and understanding as we work to resolve the issue,” Mr Mundeyi said in a statement on Thursday.
The disruption could affect applicants with scheduled appointments, those waiting to collect their passports and people with urgent travel plans.
The Kyambogo centre serves applicants in Kampala and surrounding areas, while the Jinja office serves residents seeking passport services in eastern Uganda.
Applicants who have already travelled to either facility may have to make another trip when services resume, potentially incurring additional transport costs.
The delays could also affect people travelling abroad for employment, studies, business, medical treatment or family emergencies if their passports are not issued on time.
However, the NCIC said passport services remained available at other facilities, including its headquarters in Kampala and regional offices in Mbale, Gulu, Mbarara and Arua.
Applicants able to access these facilities may seek services there, depending on the nature and stage of their applications.
The ministry did not provide a timeline for restoring services at Kyambogo and Jinja.
It also did not clarify whether applicants whose appointments had been affected would be required to book new ones or whether existing appointments would be rescheduled.
Mr Mundeyi advised applicants to confirm the status of services before travelling to the affected offices.