Uganda has problems similar to the US, who would have guessed?

monitor.co.ug
By Moses Walubiri
Posted Saturday, December 31 2011 at 00:00

A minister has decried “theft and profligacy in government” which are constraining a number of initiatives, including stopping illegal immigrations into the country.

The State minister for Planning, also Buyanja County MP, Mr Matia Kasaija, was responding to queries about the operationalisation of dual citizenship by the Ugandans in Diaspora in Kampala yesterday.

Mr Kasaija said theft from public coffers besides porous borders was responsible for the increasing cases of illegal immigrants.

“If we did something about the theft and wastage of resources in government, we would be able to channel the much-needed resources into ventures that can transform this country,” he said.

The minister cast doubts over the effectiveness of the national identity cards project in weeding out illegal immigrants due to graft.

“Even IDs won’t be able to solve this problem because leaders at local councils routinely recommend aliens for our passports for a pittance. To solve this problem requires collaboration of all stakeholders.”

In October, the minister of Internal Affairs, Mr Hilary Onek, said government was committed to ridding the country of illegal immigrants in a period of six months.

Mr Onek said unlike other countries, foreigners had come to deem Uganda as a country of “free entry and exit” due to the laxity of its immigration policy.

He said unplanned for people were hamstringing government plans by putting pressure on the country’s limited resources.

The Internal Affairs minister also hoped that the problem would be solved by the issuance of computerised identity cards which would come in handy in keeping proper data of bonafide Ugandans.

mwalubiri@ug.nationmedia.com

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