Illegal stay: Americans, Germans among 16 arrested in Kitgum

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Ugandan immigration authorities have arrested 16 foreign nationals, including five Americans and two Germans, in Kitgum Municipality for lacking the required immigration documents.

The arrests were made on Tuesday, April 15, during an operation carried out by the enforcement team of the Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control (DCIC).

In a statement posted on its official X (formerly Twitter) account, the DCIC revealed that among those detained were two Egyptians, one Indian, and other unspecified nationalities. All individuals were found without valid immigration documentation.

Foreign nationals arrested by immigration. (Courtesy photo: X/@DCICUg)

“We remind all foreign nationals to apply for the relevant immigration facilities online at http://visas.immigration.go.ug,” the statement read.

The latest report by the Auditor General has highlighted that 5,048 foreign nationals have failed to leave Uganda in the past three years after the expiry of their work permits.

“The continued stay of foreign nationals with expired or cancelled permits has resulted in illegal employment of foreign nationals and loss of revenue,” stated the report by Edward Akol to Parliament for the audit year ending December 31, 2024.

Akol also noted that while 102 foreign nationals were fined for overstaying their work permits between July 2019 and June 2023, no fines were imposed on the employers who knowingly retained them without valid entry permits.

As a result, an estimated sh306m in fines went uncollected, contributing to a revenue loss for the Government.

He further reported a significant rise in work permits issued by the DCIC in recent years—from 11,229 in the 2020/21 financial year to 14,185 in 2021/22—representing a 26% increase in just one year.

“Despite this increase, there was no evidence of a corresponding rise in resources for monitoring expatriates,” Akol added.

A work permit is a legal document issued to foreigners seeking to invest, conduct business, work, and reside in a host country. Globally, countries regulate foreign labour through such permits to control entry, stay, and exit.

“If unregulated, migrant labour creates competition for the local workforce for the few available jobs,” the Auditor General stated.

He also flagged ongoing challenges with the DCIC’s e-Immigration system, including limited system coverage, missing functions, lack of real-time notifications for overstayers, delayed migration of legacy data, and weak reporting capabilities.

“Without implementing the system’s full functionality, DCIC may not realise value for money from the investment in the system over its lifetime,” he warned.