MPs Query High Fees For Passports.

Members of Parliament on the  Defence and Internal Affairs committee have put intense pressure on the Ministry of Internal Affairs to operationalize the Uganda Security Printing Company (USPC) so that the country can finally produce its passports.

MPs queried the high-cost passports despite government interventions to have passport books printed domestically.

The Uganda Security and Printing Company- USPC was incorporated in 2018 to print security documents like passports, driving permits, and national identity cards among other documents with another long-run plan being able to produce money. But up to date, the company has not kicked off, due to delayed construction works on the building to host the factory.

The MPs on the defense Committee are concerned that the reason why Ugandans continue to pay high fees for passports is that the factory is not yet ready.

To acquire the new e-passport, applicants have to apply online and pay the fees of  Shs250,000 and Shs500,000 for ordinary and express processing respectively.

The subject of passports came up when officials of the  Ministry of Internal Affairs led by the director of citizenship and Immigration control, Maj Gen. Apollo Kasiita-Gowa, were presenting his supplementary expenditure for the Financial Year, 2022/23. Officials couldn’t Commit themselves to timelines on when USPC will start work citing Covid-19 as the cause of the delays.

However, the committee was not convinced with excuses for the stalled completion of the USPC factory and the chairperson of the defense committee Rosemary Nyakikongoro resolved to have a field visit to the stalled factory site in Entebbe

Uganda Security Printing Company (USPC) was formulated in November 2018 as a special-purpose vehicle to revamp Uganda Printing and Publishing Corporation (UPPC). The company was acquired as a joint venture between the government of Uganda and a German Consortium Veridos. The company entered into a 15-year partnership with the government to provide the country with all relevant security documents.