EXCLUSIVE! Shocking Probe Exposes Massive Rot at Uganda Immigration Directorate

The walls are closing in at the Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control, and what was once marketed as a modern, digitized gateway to Uganda is now being laid bare as a hotbed of inefficiency, systemic failure, and glaring institutional decay that has triggered high-level intervention, sackings, and a storm of public outrage.

Until February this year, Maj. Gen. Apollo Gowa sat at the helm of DCIC, steering what they proudly touted as a revolution in immigration services. Digitized permits, e-passports, and promises of smoother investor mobility were the headline achievements. But behind the polished narrative, a different story was quietly festering — one of deep-rooted dysfunction that has now exploded into the open.

Their abrupt recall by the UPDF, confirmed by Internal Affairs spokesperson Simon Mundeyi, was initially dressed in diplomatic language as the “end of their tour of duty.” Yet, the timing spoke volumes. It came just as Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba publicly tore into the institution, accusing immigration officers of actively frustrating Ugandan citizens — particularly those of a neighbouring country origin — from accessing national identity documents.

In a fiery intervention that sent shockwaves through the system, Gen. Muhoozi ordered the immediate removal of officers he accused of “making life hard,” even citing a personal case involving his grandmother, Kaka Bella, who was allegedly denied an ID. It was not just a policy statement — it was a warning shot. And it exposed a system many had long accused of discrimination, inefficiency, and outright obstruction.

Even for their replacements, the shadow of past failures looms large. Because much of this rot did not emerge overnight. It festered over years, under both former and current leadership.

Col. Geoffrey Brian Kambere who has been in the system is now acting as Chief Citizenship and Immigration Control Officer having replaced Gen.Goowa.

Now, the Auditor General’s report for December 2025 has ripped the lid off completely, revealing that the rot was not incidental but deeply entrenched during the tenure of the very officials who are now being quietly ushered out — and even those who succeeded them cannot escape the shadow.

Despite receiving an unqualified audit opinion, the details paint a damning picture. Domestic arrears have ballooned from UGX 0.323 billion in 2020/2021 to a staggering UGX 1.196 billion by the close of the 2024/2025 financial year, exposing a growing financial burden that management failed to control. This is not just a number — it is a symptom of a system struggling to live within its means while basic services falter.

Shockingly, key institutional pillars such as Accounts, Internal Audit, ICT, Procurement, and Planning are not even formally recognized on the NCIC staff structure, yet officers occupy these roles. It is an administrative contradiction that screams disorder at the heart of operations — positions exist, work is done, but structurally, the system is hollow.

Governance is equally crippled. The NCIC Board remains incomplete, with the Chairperson and one member’s positions lying vacant since September 2024. Decisions are being made in a vacuum, oversight weakened, and accountability diluted.

On the ground, the failures are even more alarming. Three government boats stationed in Ntoroko, Sabagoro, and Butiaba — critical for monitoring Uganda’s porous water borders — are sitting underutilized due to lack of personnel and fuel. At a time when border security is paramount, assets meant to safeguard the nation are idling, exposing glaring vulnerabilities.

Land management is another ticking time bomb. Eleven pieces of land have no registered titles, while twelve others remain unvalued and missing from official system records, creating inconsistencies between manual and digital registers. It is a recipe for asset loss, fraud, and disputes — all under the watch of those tasked with safeguarding national resources.

Even basic housekeeping has collapsed. Eight items marked for disposal are still gathering dust, ignored and unmanaged. This is not just negligence — it reflects a culture of inertia where recommendations are made but never acted upon.

Performance metrics tell an even bleaker story. Out of 105 planned interventions, only 41 were fully achieved — a miserable 39 percent success rate. A quarter were partially implemented, while over a third were not implemented at all. This is not underperformance; it is systemic failure.

Budget compliance stands at just 53.1 percent, meaning nearly half of planned outputs under the National Development Plan III were not delivered as expected. Revenue collection also fell short, with only 80.2 percent of the projected UGX 437.98 billion realized. While spending absorption was high at 99.5 percent, it raises uncomfortable questions — how is nearly all the money spent when so little is actually achieved?

The cracks widen further in operational effectiveness. There is no annual Monitoring and Evaluation framework in place, meaning performance is not systematically tracked, reviewed, or improved. In essence, the institution has been operating blindly, without a clear feedback mechanism.

Border control — the very backbone of immigration — is in disarray. Key gazetted posts like Kazinga Channel, Kisinga, Lolwe Island, Sigulu Island, Lokitanyara, and Kelwa are not operational at all. Out of 72 gazetted border posts, only 26 are automated, covering just 36 percent. In a world driven by real-time data and security threats, Uganda’s borders are largely manual, fragmented, and dangerously exposed.

Marcelino Bwesigye is the Ag.Commissioner, Borders and Foreign Nationals Management.

Even where systems exist, they do not talk to each other. Immigration platforms are deployed but not integrated, meaning data sharing is disjointed, slow, and ineffective. It is a digital system in name, but analog in practice.

For ordinary applicants, the impact is painfully real. Out of 434,965 applications for permits and passes, 47,890 — a staggering 11 percent — were left unissued by the end of the financial year. These are not just statistics; they are people — workers, investors, families — stuck in limbo because the system simply could not deliver.

Dr. Josephine Ekwang Ali is the Commissioner, Inspection and Compliance.

Parliamentary oversight has also been largely ignored. Of eight recommendations issued in the 2021/22 Treasury Memorandum, only two were fully implemented. Five were partially addressed, and one was completely ignored. It is a pattern of defiance or indifference that underscores the depth of the problem.

And as Gen. Muhoozi’s warnings echo louder and the Auditor General’s findings continue to sting, one thing is clear: the clean-up at DCIC is far from over, sources told Red Pepper.

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