News has been circulating in the past few days about how a number of African countries have been barred from receiving visas to the United Arab Emirates.
And among these countries was Uganda, a thing that has had many people talking.
A notice addressed to 30 African nations read that “This is to inform you that we will not be posting 30 days visa applications for these nationalities effective today October, 18, 2022.”
The countries included Ghana, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Cameroon, Nigeria, Liberia, Burundi, Republic of Guinea, Gambia, Togo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Senegal, Benin, Ivory Coast, Congo, Rwanda, Burkina Faso, Guinea Bissau, Comoros all from Africa and the Dominican Republic from the Caribbean.
The notice further read that “Any applications from the above mentioned countries will be sent back or cancelled.”
This is a move to block foreigners especially Africans who have been using these visit visas to stay in the country permanently and look for work.
However, according to Hon Zaake Kibedi, it’s not true that Ugandans have been banned from going to the UAE.
In fact he doesn’t know where these rumors are circulating from.
He added that the UAE Visa system is only getting revamped.
Therefore it now takes up to 5 days to get a visa and not two days like before.
“It is not true that UAE has halted the issuance of visit visas to Uganda. I don’t know the source of this misinformation, but it’s not true.
The UAE visa system is just being revamped and now, it takes up to five days to get the visa and not two days like before.m,” he said while appearing on the NBS Morning Breeze.
The Ambassador also addressed NUP leader Hon Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu’s recent charity concert which was halted by officials in the UAE.
Kibedi said that he didn’t even know that Bobi Wine went to thd UAE as the singer turned politician didn’t notify him.
He should have known that there were procedures that should have been followed for the concert to go ahead.
“I was not aware of that concert (Bobi wine’s fundraising concert) but there are procedures that have to be followed. I didn’t even know that Bobi Wine ever came to UAE; I didn’t get any communication from him.”
