Entebbe International Airport has registered a tremendous increase in passengers after easing of COVID-19 restrictions
Entebbe International Airport handled 151,653 international passengers in July 2022, an average of 4,892 per day, Uganda Civil Aviation Authority has revealed. This comprised 77,056 arrivals and 74,597 departures.
This is the highest number of passengers handled in seven months given the fact that Entebbe Airport handled an average of 4,508 passengers per day in June, 4,018 in May, 4,078 in April, 3,670 in March, 3,615 in February and 3,566 per day in January 2022.
Vianney Luggya, the UCAA Spokesperson says that in the Financial Year 2021/22, a total of 1,244,604 international passengers were facilitated through Entebbe compared to 1,728,783 in the FY 2018/19 prior to COVID19, 1,355,772 in the FY 2019/20 and 580,238 in the FY 2020/21, which was adversely affected by the COVID19 impact.
“A comparison of the FY 2021/22 passenger traffic performance with that of the FY 2018/19 reflects a 71.9% recovery. In relation to cargo, 64,254 metric tones (40,961 exports & 23,293 imports) were handled in the FY 2021/22 in comparison to 62,121 metric tones in the FY 2018/19,” Luggya says.
He adds: “60,637 metric tones of cargo were handled in the FY 2019/20 and 63,978 metric tones of cargo in the FY 2020/21 (25,038 imports & 38,940 exports). Exports have consistently continued to be more than imports. The major exports include flowers, fish, vegetables and fresh produce.”
He adds that cargo traffic was not affected by the COVID 19 pandemic since cargo operations were maintained even during the 2020 lockdown. The major destinations for Uganda’s cargo produce include Europe, Middle East and the far East, among others.
Stakeholders have reiterated the need to make human trafficking a risky venture for anyone to invest in, as one of the best ways to curb the vice.
“This is very chilling crime. Human trafficking shouldn’t be something we tolerate any further. The vice has continued to flourish because we haven’t made it risky enough to be a human trafficker. Going forward, it should be extremely risky for anyone to engage in human trafficking,” said the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority Managing Director, Fred Bamwesigye during celebrations to mark the international day on human trafficking on Saturday at Entebbe Airport.
The day is held annually and this year’s commemorations were held under the theme, “Use and abuse of technology.”
The Uganda CAA boss said there is need for concerted efforts to ensure anyone who wants to participate in human trafficking thinks twice before joining the business, adding that this can be done through harsh punishments to offenders.
“Quite often efforts by airport stakeholders to clamp down on the vice have culminated into arrests of these perpetuators. They are handled within the due process until taken for prosecution and even conviction in court but have always ended up getting very light sentences and penalties like attracting fines as low as shs300,000,”Bamwesigye said.
“It is disheartening to realize that after investing a lot in apprehending the culprits they end with such light punishments and within a few days, they return to start from where they ended and carry out the same crime. This sometimes demoralizes the efforts of airport stakeholders and everyone involved.”
Bamwesigye noted that because of the “small” punishments, the offenders of human trafficking become more hardened beyond redemption.
He noted the need to rethink actions to help stop the crime of human trafficking.
The State Minister for Works, Musa Ecweru said human trafficking is real and not something imagined, noting that many Ugandans and people around the world have fallen victim to the vice.
He however said the temptation for people to join human trafficking is high due to its profitability.
“I have learnt that the business of human trafficking is extremely lucrative and therefore the temptation to perpetuate is bigger than the efforts we put in to fight it. That puts us back to the drawing board. We have the laws and personnel but it takes diligent and honest people to make a difference,”Ecweru said.
He said Uganda has found itself in a catch 22 situation where there are so many youths who are unemployed and are easy to be trafficked.
“We have a very young population and one that is looking for a future in form of jobs. That level of vulnerability I what the perpetuators are exploiting.”
Technology aiding trafficking
The chairperson of the board of directors at the Coalition Against Trafficking in Persons in Uganda(CATIP-U),Dr.Annete Kirabira said that whereas technology has been of great importance to mankind, it has on the other side been used to fuel crime like human trafficking.
“Technology has provided easy access to a much larger group of potential victims because traditional physical and geographical limitations no longer exist. Traffickers are currently using technology to profile, recruit, groom, control and exploit their victims as well as using the internet, especially the dark web to hide illegal materials stemming from trafficking and their real identities from investigations, “Dr. Kirabira said.
She explained that many victims of human trafficking are targeted and recruited via social media and online dating platforms where personal information and details of people’s locations are readily available.
“Sexual abuse and other forms of exploitation are taking place virtually and photos and videos sold further on different platforms to customers worldwide, resulting into even more money for the traffickers at no additional cost.”
“Traffickers are using technology to control their victims remotely and sometimes without having ever met them in person. They threaten to release intimate photos or videos of them to families and friends if they don’t comply to their demands.”
Dr.Kirabira noted there have been little efforts to make use of technology to help in combating the crime of human trafficking yet the global nature of human trafficking requires well prepared, resourced and capacitated teams to combat it.
Call to action
According to the State Minister for Works, it is high time the misconceptions by members of the public that human trafficking mostly takes place via air transport and is from one country to the other.
“There is a lot more domestic human trafficking undertaken within the country using other modes of transport. Awareness campaigns will be key in sensitizing the public, especially youths and secondary school children who are major targets of traffickers,” Minister Ecweru said.
The chairperson for the board of directors at CATIP-U, Dr.Annete Kirabira said it is high time government did something to make the use of technology safe as a way of combating human trafficking.
“We call upon government to improve safety standards in the cyberspace including developing systems , acquiring tools and capacitating law enforcement agencies to detect online criminal activities of recruitment, grooming, control and exploitation of victims,” Dr.Kirabira said.
She also urged government to expedite the enactment of the witness protection law to enhance the protection of victims and witnesses participating in the criminal proceedings of human trafficking to prevent re-traumatization.
Dr.Kirabira asked government to operationalize digital reporting channels including toll free lines as an ICT tool under the coordination office for the prevention of trafficking in persons to ease reporting of cases by the public.
ENTEBBE – Uganda, on Saturday, joined the rest of the world to commemorate world day against trafficking in persons.
The national event – held at Entebbe International Airport was organised by the government of Uganda through line Ministries of Works and Transport and Internal Affairs together with Uganda Civil Aviation Authority in partnership with a number of Civil Society Organizations led by the Coalition Against Trafficking in Persons – Uganda and other development partners under the theme “Use and abuse of technology in reference to Trafficking in Persons”.
According to the National Report on countering trafficking in persons for 2021, Entebbe Aviation Police registered the highest number of incidents of human trafficking (64) involving hundreds of victims. A total number of 727 victims were identified and registered during the year from various areas in the country, 297 were trafficked to Dubai, 175 to Saudi Arabia, 110 to Qatar, and 50 to UAE among others.
The report shows that a total of 1,295 persons were victims of trafficking in person out of whom 790 were victims of transitional trafficking while 475 were victims of internal trafficking and 30 unknown. The crime continues to affect mostly women who represented 55.1% of the total number of registered victims in 2021. These were followed by the children at 28.6% of which 76.8% were girls.
Officiating at the event, Gen. Katumba Wamala – Minister of Works and Transport said that holding such an event at the country’s major gateway for international passenger traffic sends a strong message to national and international audiences that Entebbe International Airport is totally against the vice of human trafficking and does not in any way condone such activities.
Represented by his junior minister, Musa Ecweru, Gen Wamala revealed that the Ministry of Gender, Labor and Social Development also provides clearance to individuals going for employment to specific destinations, which have previously recorded high cases of human trafficking.
He noted that international human trafficking is not only one way, “as we have also had cases of people trafficked to Uganda, especially from Pakistan and Eritrea, among others. The rationale of this engagement is to enhance awareness by focusing, especially on preventive measures.”
“Besides planes, traffickers also extensively use boda-bodas, vehicles, trains and ships or boats. It is clear that the entire transportation chain is sometimes misused by wrong elements who transport the recruited human trafficking victims from the villages (where recruitment happens most) to the airport and other border points.”
Wamala added, “Many of you may have seen and read harrowing reports of how the victims of human trafficking have been traumatized, lost lives, had their internal organs transferred without authority, and undergone a lot more untold suffering. The perpetrators of the vice have ironically become immensely rich through this illegal activity hence the reason it attracts many and is difficult to eliminate.”
The commemoration of world day against trafficking in persons started with a walk from Mayor’s Garden to Kitooro in Entebbe town (PHOTO/Courtesy).
Nonetheless, he says with concerted efforts of “this nature, we are optimistic that the masses can be sensitized and we play our part in prevention, which Government looks at as the most important part of the campaign.”
Director General Uganda Civil Aviation Authority, Mr Fred K. Bamwesigye said that quite often, the airport stakeholders arrested the perpetrators of the vice “but have unfortunately ended up facing very light penalties attracting fines as low as three hundred thousand shillings (300,000/=) for not only human trafficking, but drug trafficking as well.”
“The two vices are a menace to air transport and have a very negative impact on society. It is, therefore, extremely disheartening to realize that after investing a lot of time and energy in apprehending the culprits, they end up with such light sentences, and back again on the streets to engage in the same bad habits of seeking more recruits since they know that even when they are caught, they can easily walk away after paying the penalties provided for in the law,” he decried.
“This is a matter that requires to be treated with the urgency it deserves if we are to make serious headway in the noble fight against the two vices of human and drug trafficking,” he called.
Bamwesigye also revealed that most of the victims have also become sophisticated as they are extensively trained by their traffickers.
“Some of the victims now use tourist visas yet they are travelling for perceived employment opportunities. It, therefore, calls for a little bit of further interrogation to eventually detect some of the victims.”
Lt Gen. Joseph Musanyufu, PS Ministry of Internal Affairs, represented by his commissioner of immigration, Col. Geoffrey Kambere said that “Uganda is a source, transit and destination for human trafficking.”
According to him, human traffickers trick victims with fake job offers and promises before exploiting them through online technologies.
“Research conducted by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)) shows how traffickers are currently using technology to profile, recruit, control and exploit their victims as well as using the internet, especially the dark web, to launder proceeds of the crime and hide their real identities from investigators.”
“Today, the Internet provides easy access to a much larger group of potential victims because traditional physical and geographical limitations no longer exist. Traffickers use technology to control their victims remotely, sometimes without having ever met them in person. The attempt to control COVID-19 pandemic provided further opportunities for traffickers due to the increased use of the internet, especially by children at the time when schools were closed,” said Gen Musanyufu.
Dr. Annete Kirabira – Chairperson Board of Directors – Coalition Against Trafficking in Person Uganda speaking at the event (PHOTO/Courtesy).
He commended all the stakeholders and development partners who have supported Uganda’s counter-trafficking efforts ever since the country passed the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Act 2009, saying that it has benefited the country in combatting the vice.
In her part, Dr. Annete Kirabira – Chairperson Board of Directors – Coalition Against Trafficking in Person Uganda (CATIP-U) said that every day, in every country in the world, Human Traffickers exploit human beings for profit, revealing that the poor and vulnerable are most at risk.
“Over 70% of the detected trafficking victims are women and girls while nearly third are children.”
She noted that the acquisition of digital tools and use of technology is an ever-growing trend in Uganda which gears double aged role of technology with regard to the crime of trafficking in person.
In 2019, 24.89 million Ugandans were mobile subscribers, 19 million people were internet users and 2.5million people are active social media users.
“There is no doubt, therefore, that Technology has provided easy access to a much larger group of potential victims because traditional physical and geographical limitations no longer exist.”
Dr. Kirabira says that traffickers are currently using technology to profile, recruit, groom, control and exploit their victims as well as using the internet, especially the dark web, to hide illegal materials stemming from trafficking and their real identities from the investigation.
“The report titled, ‘Disrupting Harm in Uganda’ by ECPAT, INTERPOL and UNICEF Office of Research, found that in Uganda online Platforms are increasingly being used for child sexual exploitation and abuse.”
“Further still, Traffickers are using technology to control their victims remotely, sometimes without having ever met them in person. They threaten to release intimate photos or videos of them to families and friends if they do not comply with their demands,” she added.
The coalition notes that there are some challenges in the use of technology to prevent and protect the victims; “there is limited resourcing and capacity to harness the use of technology in combating the crime of trafficking in person. The global nature of human trafficking coupled with the abuse of technology makes it even more difficult for law enforcement authorities to tackle this crime if not well prepared, resourced and capacitated for this front.”
The Coalition wants the Government of Uganda to improve safety standards in cyberspace including developing systems, acquiring tools and capacitating law enforcement agencies to detect online criminal activities of recruitment, grooming, control and exploitation of victims.
They also want Uganda, particularly the legislative arm to expedite the process of enacting the Witness Protection Law to enhance protection of victims and witnesses participating in the criminal proceeding of the crime of trafficking in person and prevent re-traumatization.
Dr. Kirabira said that the government should also expeditiously operationalise digital reporting channels (Toll-free lines) as an ICT tool under the coordination office for the prevention of trafficking in Person to ease reporting of cases of trafficking in persons by the general public.
Dr. Annete Kirabira – Chairperson Board of Directors – Coalition Against Trafficking in Person Uganda
Other Coalition’s call include;
The Government through the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development is called upon to review and include in the pre-departure orientation training curriculum for the Ugandan migrant workers a module on the use and abuse of technology and indicators of online trafficking of migrant workers in the countries of destination.
Increase training and resourcing for law enforcement, prosecutors and judges in the use of technology in investigation, prosecution and adjudication of cases of trafficking in person.
The Government and stakeholders should draw targeted awareness programs for the general public particularly the children, youth and parents on the use and abuse of technology to prevent and protect would-be victims from falling prey to the traffickers through online platforms.
Government should undertake research to enhance stakeholders understanding of Technology in accelerating abuse and exploitation of victims.
The private sector particularly the internet and telecommunication service providers are called upon to undertake a responsive due diligence approach to prevent the use of their services and tools from facilitating online abuse and exploitation of victims of Human Trafficking.
Uganda Civil Aviation Authority’s Deputy Director General, Olive B. Lumonya and Manager Air Traffic Management, Geoffrey Okot met the South Sudan Minister of Transport, Hon. Modut Biar Yel, on July 19, 2022 in Juba and discussed issues of mutual interest in the aviation industry, including plans for search and rescue in the unfortunate event of an accident.
Uganda Civil Aviation Authority in conjunction with the Ministry of Works and Transport has held several similar workshops covering areas in the Eastern part of the country and the West among others. The main objective of the workshops mainly is to sensitize the stakeholders on how to improve the Search and Rescue services(SAR) in Uganda and enhance mutual understanding.
The Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA) has issued a travel advisory to all Muslim pilgrims heading to Mecca for Hajj to plan for delays at departure at Entebbe airport.
According to the authority, this is due to the growing number of passengers passing through the airport amid the ongoing expansion construction works.
“Owing to the big number of pilgrims expected to travel to Mecca and on-going construction works at Entebbe airport, departing passengers are advised to plan for more time in order to avoid missing flights,” said Vianney Luggya, the spokesperson of CAA.
This come five days to the holly month of Hijah. Pilgrims from across the world will be in Mecca, Saudi Arabia for Hajj which is expected to commence on the evening of Thursday, 7th until Tuesday July, 12th.
Luggya reminded passengers who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to carry proof of vaccination while those not fully vaccinated should undertake Covid-19 PCR tests within 72 hours (and / or check destination requirements).
He revealed that the authority has registered growth in the number of passengers using Entebbe airport in the last quarter of year.
“Entebbe recorded 59,071 arrivals and 66,862 departures in May 2022, an average of 4,062 per day. We are yet to hit the 5,000 passengers per day recorded in 2019 but we see light at the tunnel’s end. In April , the daily average was 3,864 up from 3,793 in March , 3,658 in February and 3,566 in January,” Luggya said.
Currently, The airport passenger terminal building has the capacity to handle 410 arriving and 320 departing passengers during peak hours on a daily basis and over one million travelers a year. But by 2033, the airport is projected to handle 6 million passengers and store 172,000 metric tons of cargo annually.
What are the requirements/arrival process for arriving passengers?
Passengers through Entebbe International Airport are reminded that the requirement for COVID-19 certificates for arriving passengers was dropped (no longer relevant), effective March 7, 2023.
What are the requirements for departing passengers?
For departing passengers, it is only applied when the destination country requires it.
What are the requirements for air transportation of human remains into the country?
The following conditions should be fulfilled:
Medical certificate of cause of death
Post-mortem report or Comprehensive Medical Report from the attending doctor/health facility
Copy of passport/identification document of the deceased (The original passport/travel document/identification document to be presented to immigration authorities)
Import license/import authorization from the Director General of Health Services
Appropriate packaging – wrapped in a waterproof body bag then placed in a zinc lined coffin and outer metal or wooden box
PROCEDURE FOR IMPORTATION AND OPERATION OF UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS/ DRONES IN UGANDA.
Purpose
This advisory circular (AC) has been issued to give guidance and information to institutions,organizations and persons intending to import and operate Unmanned Aircraft Systems /Drones in Uganda.
Procedure
The Procedure for importation and approval of drone operations in Uganda is divided into two steps;
Approval of drone Importation.
The process for approval of importation of drones is as follows;
When requests for importation of drones are received by Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) Customs, URA Customs writes to Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA) communicating the requests.
UCAA first evaluates applications for preliminary compliance and then originates a letter to the Chief of Defense Forces (CDF) regarding the same.
CDF convenes the Tripartite Committee meeting to evaluate the request.
CDF writes back to UCAA communicating clearance to import the drone or rejection of the drone importation.
UCAA then writes to URA Customs clearing the drone importation and also notifies the Applicant .
The Applicant can now proceed and apply for approval of the drone operation.
Approval of drone Operation.
The process for approval of operation of drones is as follows;
The Applicant obtains a letter of no objection from the relevant line ministry regarding the planned operation.
The Applicant submits to UCAA a request for approval of the drone operation on Form: AC – UAS 001 together with the letter of no objection from the relevant line ministry. The request should be addressed to the Director Safety,Security and Economic Regulations on email: dat@caa.co.ug
After evaluation of the request for preliminary compliance, UCAA writes to CDF requesting for Security Clearance of the drone operation. A copy of the letter is given to the Tripartite Committee and Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), if applicable.
CDF convenes the Tripartite Committee meeting to evaluate the request.
CDF writes to UCAA communicating the Security Clearance or rejection of the drone
The Applicant is required to pay an authorization fee of Ushs 250,000 + 18% VAT at UCAA Landside Revenue office located at Entebbe International Airport and submit a copy of the payment receipt to the office of the Director Safety,Security and Economic Regulations at the UCAA Headquaters.
UCAA conducts safety evaluation and communicates Safety Approval and Security Clearance to the Applicant.
On receiving the Safety Approval and Security Clearance, the Applicant commences
Advisory Circular UCAA-AC-UAS001, Issue 1, July 2020-Procedure for Importation and Operation of Unmanned Aircraft Systems/ Drones in Uganda Download Circular (PDF)
Uganda Civil Aviation Authority is in the process of amending the Civil Aviation (Security) Regulations, 2022, to incorporate changes arising from the various amendments to ICAO Standards and recommended practices.
These are proposed amendments to the Civil Aviation (Security) Regulations, 2022 posted for stakeholder review and comments.
Stakeholders are invited to send comments and inquiries, if any, at their convenience, but not later than April 13, 2022 to; The Director Safety Security and Economic Regulation; Email: dat@caa.co.ug.
Copy the Manager Aviation Security and Facilitation Policy MASFAL Ms.Jane Nakimu on Email: jnakimu@caa.co.ug.
The National Air Transport Facilitation committee (NFALC) held a meeting at Entebbe International Airport on March 17, 2022 and also inspected and acquainted themselves with the progress of the Airport’s expansion projects. The team was led by Mr.Robert Ntambi, who represented the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Works and Transport, who is also the Chairman of the committee.
Mr. Ntambi said that the Committee was established on January 24, 2005 to operationalise the provisions of the National Air Transport Facilitation programme. He also said that the primary purpose of the committee was to facilitate the seamless movement of passengers and cargo through airports.
The Deputy Director General of Uganda Civil Aviation Authority, Mrs. Olive Birungi Lumonya also welcomed the Committee members, appreciated their feedback and also called upon all stakeholders to provide the best customer service to enhance a positive image of Entebbe International Airport.
The Committee, which comprises of all the Stakeholders operating at Entebbe International Airport and various Government ministries, among others, meets on a quarterly basis.
Uganda Civil Aviation Authority is in the process of amending the civil Aviation (Aerodromes) Regulations, 2019, to incorporate changes arising from the various amendments to ICAO Standards and recommended practices in Annex 14 and National requirements.
These are proposed amendments to the Civil Aviation (Aerodromes) Regulations, 2019 posted for stakeholder review and comments.
Stakeholders are invited to send comments and inquiries, if any, at their convenience, but not later than 01 April 2022 to; The Director Safety Security and Economic Regulation Email: dat@caa.co.ug.
