Dear Willy Kituuka (Mr.),
Thank you for your concerns
on the working conditions in Passport Office. I pledge to escalate your
complaint to the highest possible level.
I agree with you on some of
the issues you raised such as the impossible working conditions under tents as
an office difficulty to deliver under a tent on a rainy day, seemingly
confusion caused by working under the tent. I also do not support over taking
at any service point.
However, in the
circumstances there are a few changes that bring a smile on our faces:
i. Currently
we are able to call our clients whenever there is a problem with the
application.
ii. We
are now meeting the turn-around-times for both services. And as already noted,
in case of a problem we happily reach out to our clients.
iii. We
have also separated the different services with different tents, so that those
who have Express applications where they pay UGX 300,000 and get the passport
in two (2) working days are in a separate tent; those who are submitting new
normal applications where they pay UGX 150,000 and get the passport after ten
(10) working days are in a separate tent and those who are submitting renewals
under the normal passport application service are also in a separate tent. We a
separate tent for those waiting to submit their Receiving Slips to collect
their passports and another small shelter where those who have submitted their
Receiving Slips sit as they wait to sign for their passports.
iv. Many
of these changes are quite new and now we are working on the most appropriate
signage after the separation of services (tents). Next time you check on us you
will find the tents well labeled with clear signage.
v. We
have also designed a special signage (A1 Boards) for applicants which will soon
be displayed in the open for every applicant to see what is required of his/her
category of application and the order of arrangement of documents in the file:
I am attaching for you a picture of the A1 board for your view.
Frankly it looks like a
tent bonanza. And I am not just being proud of the tents, actually I detest to
the limit like you and any other Ugandan does, but those are the circumstances
that we are, charged with the responsibility delivering passports to Ugandans.
We must do whatever we can to achieve the goals, albeit in difficulties.
While we deserve better
conditions and our new minister is working tirelessly under the grand plan of
the wider Justice Law and Order Sector (JLOS) to build/ expand the current
office space for the Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control to shelter
most of the services that are in under tents. We are patiently waiting for the
construction to commence.
The National identification
and Registration Authority has never handed over the database for use by the
stake holders. We are anxious to use it to issue passports in the case of those
who are registered. We still have to issue passports to those who registered
and those who are not registered.
Finally, I thank you for
the concerns and I am pleased to find that there are Ugandans who care about
us. We also doing whatever is within our means to make Ugandans get travel
documents as easily as possible. I pledge to forward this to the highest office
in the ministry.
Best Regards,
Jacob Siminyu
Spokesperson
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