A dramatic passport fraud bust in Soroti City has collided with the recent firing of immigration officers by Chief of Defence Forces, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, deepening a rapidly unfolding crisis inside Uganda’s immigration system.
Security agencies are investigating the recovery of 261 passports from a suspect in Soroti, a discovery that comes just days after Gen. Muhoozi ordered the removal of immigration officers he accused of frustrating Ugandans in accessing national identity documents.
The convergence of the two developments has raised urgent questions about internal integrity, document security, and possible organized criminal infiltration within the Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control (DCIC).
261 Passports Recovered in Intelligence-Led Operation
Police in Soroti City arrested a suspect during an intelligence-led operation in Orwadai Cell, Soroti City East Division. The individual — whose identity has been withheld to protect ongoing investigations — was allegedly dealing in passports, yellow fever vaccination cards and certificates of good conduct.
Kyoga East Regional Police Commander Ibrahim Saiga confirmed the seizure.
“We are yet to verify the authenticity of the passports with the relevant authorities,” Saiga said, adding that a second suspect fled and is being pursued.
Authorities are now conducting forensic verification to determine whether the recovered passports are genuine government-issued documents, forged copies, or legitimately issued passports illegally collected from citizens.
The scale of the seizure has alarmed investigators. Passports are serialized, biometric security documents issued under tight control by DCIC. The presence of 261 passports in private hands strongly suggests organized activity rather than isolated misconduct.
Muhoozi’s Immigration Shake-Up
The Soroti seizure comes against the backdrop of sweeping personnel changes at Immigration.
Last week, Gen. Muhoozi publicly announced that he had ordered the removal of immigration officers whom he accused of obstructing Ugandans — particularly those of Banyarwanda heritage — from obtaining national identity documents.
In a strongly worded statement, he alleged that certain officers had denied identification documents to members of his own family and warned that those responsible would face jail.
Shortly thereafter, the Uganda People’s Defence Forces recalled Brig. Gen. Gowa and Brig. Gen. Johnson Namanya Abaho from DCIC, where they had been seconded since 2021 to oversee passport issuance, border management and citizenship verification reforms.
Although no formal statement has linked their redeployment to the passport investigations, the timing has intensified speculation that a broader internal cleanup may be underway.
Demand for Overseas Jobs Fueling Fraud
Security agencies say rising demand for overseas employment has significantly increased passport applications across Uganda, creating opportunities for fraudsters to exploit desperate job seekers.
Unscrupulous brokers reportedly charge exorbitant fees for immigration documents they are not authorized to issue. In some cases, victims are persuaded to surrender their original passports under the promise of lucrative foreign jobs.
If the Soroti passports are confirmed to be genuine, investigators will have to determine whether they were:
- Diverted before issuance
- Illegally obtained from citizens
- Or leaked through internal collusion
Echoes of International Syndicates
The latest development also revives memories of the Andrew Ssekimuli case. Ssekimuli was charged before the Mwanga II Magistrates’ Court over allegations of fraud and human trafficking linked to a labour export scam.
Authorities previously disclosed that his network had connections to a Dubai-based cartel accused of purchasing genuine Ugandan passports, duplicating them, and reselling them to criminals abroad.
Investigators at the time warned that the diversion of authentic passports into international criminal networks posed a significant national security threat.
The seizure of 261 passports in Soroti now raises the possibility that similar networks may still be active — or that systemic vulnerabilities persist.
National Security Under Scrutiny
Security officials warn that genuine Ugandan passports in criminal hands can facilitate identity fraud, human trafficking, drug trafficking and other transnational crimes.
The Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control, which operates under the Ministry of Internal Affairs and works closely with NIRA in processing passports and national IDs, now faces renewed scrutiny.
As forensic verification of the seized passports continues, investigators are working to trace their origin, identify accomplices, and determine whether internal breaches occurred.
For now, the twin developments — Gen. Muhoozi’s forceful dismissal of immigration officers and the dramatic seizure of 261 passports — have thrust Uganda’s immigration system into one of its most serious integrity tests in recent years.
The outcome of the investigations could determine whether this is an isolated criminal racket — or the beginning of a far-reaching institutional purge.
