Following the ban on passenger flights by most countries in March as a measure to curb down the Covid-19, a number of Ugandans were trapped and stuck in countries away from home. Earlier on, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has restated that government does not intend to evacuate Ugandans stuck abroad following the coronavirus pandemic lock down however pledge to negotiate their Visa extensions. This could be majorly because of the huge amount of resources needed to evacuate all these people in such a crisis.
In efforts to have these people back home or under better stays in their respective countries, government recently started registration of Ugandans who had traveled abroad temporarily. However, this brought excitement of a possible plan to evacuate them as other countries like Egypt, Kenya, Ethiopians are deporting citizens.
Regardless of having been earlier on reported that government will evacuate 1000 citizens stuck abroad starting from Africa, this has been dismissed as false by Henry Okello Oryem, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.
Coming through in a radio interview, the minister commented that the registration is simply for taking stock but most importantly in the event when there is need, they will negotiate with the countries that Ugandans are to be considered to extend their Visa’s for those whose visas had expired, help them buy food and medical services for anybody registered with the embassies.
He further lamented that these are still proposals and it will depend on the negotiations with the particular countries. ‘The matter of repatriation of Ugandans has never come up and it is also not true that the cabinet was discussing the matter,’ he said.
He said their position currently is that the President’s first address on the matter stands and that the citizens should remain in the country that they are in while the situation normalizes. He says that they hope to use the model they used in China, Wuhan were some stranded students were supported by the Chinese government with food, medication and some facilitation.
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