Uganda has reopened its borders in a bid to allow its citizens who are stranded in East African Community countries to return, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs revealed on Sunday.
The country’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Okello Oryem told local publication the Daily Monitor that the government had laid out strict measures that Ugandans wishing to return must follow.
Oryem said that Ugandans wishing to return must seek clearance from their embassies in the host nation and present a COVID-19 certificate before entering Uganda.
“Ugandans, who want to return by road from the EAC should possess a COVID-19 test certificate not longer than a week and must get permission from our embassies. When they reach the border points, they are supposed to be subjected to another COVID-19 test before being driven to quarantine centres of their choice,” Oryem said.
Oryem added that Ugandans should hire individual vehicles from the countries they are coming from because they will not be allowed to return to the country in groups.
According to the government, this mode of return is to give Ugandans who are within the East African region but cannot afford the cost of air tickets an opportunity to return.
In May, the Minister of Information Judith Nabakooba said that the Cabinet had agreed in principle that Ugandans who were stranded abroad should be allowed to return in phases.
The government decided to facilitate the return of Ugandans in phases due to concerns of limited quarantine space provided by the Ministry of Health.
According to the Daily Monitor, the government has begun arranging air planes for Ugandans stranded in Kenya, Tanzania, Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan for those who can afford the ticket fares.
Uganda has been repatriating its citizens since last month by air travel. The government is also preparing to evacuate its citizens from the United States, the Middle East, Russia, Malaysia and Australia.
