Travel Advisory | Ugandans Stranded In the USA Over the Past Several Months on Chartered Flight Back Home

A total of 276 Ugandans, residents and dependent pass holders departed the United States Friday July 17th at Washington Dulles International Airport bound for Entebbe International Airport, aboard the Ethiopian Airlines Dreamliner Chartered Flight.

The group was seen off from Washington by Uganda’s Ambassador to the USA, South America and the Caribbean, H.E. Mull Sebujja Katende who was flanked by Deputy Chief of Mission, Amb. Santa Mary Laker-Kinyera and the Permanent Representative of Uganda to the United Nations, Ambassador Adonia Ayebare.

A second group of about 88 passengers will depart from Canada, South America and the Caribbean tomorrow 18th July 2020 transiting in Addis Ababa and arriving in Entebbe on 19th July 2020. The travelers from the United States and the Caribbean included Ugandans and legal residents and their dependents, affected by the March 23rd closure of Entebbe Airport due to COVID-19 restrictions. 

The majority of passengers are holders of US visitors visas, F1, J1 student, research fellow visas and Ugandan resident permit holders who were unable to travel back to Uganda when the airport was closed. The Uganda Embassies in North America also registered a number of stranded Ugandans who had traveled for medical reasons.

Given the closure of numerous borders in both North and South America due to COVID-19 concerns and visa limitations of several of the affected persons it was necessary to create multiple departure locations, to ensure that everyone who could do so was afforded an opportunity to return home.

Ambassador Katende explained that the registration and repatriation process, though complex, due to the size of the area of accreditation, had been made possible by the seamless coordination and teamwork of the staff at the three Embassies of Uganda in Washington, DC, New York and Ottawa in Canada. He paid tribute to his colleagues Ambassador  Adonia Ayebare (The Permanent Representative at the United Nations) and Ambassador  Jane Ruth Acheng Uganda’s High Commissioner to Canada based in Ottawa.

Other key players included the management of Ethiopian Airlines and Mr. Mukesh Sahu of Satguru Travel Solutions for their tireless efforts to reach out and provide guidance to the stranded Ugandans. Another flight will depart from Pearson International Airport Toronto in Canada on Saturday arriving at Entebbe Sunday. 

The Ambassador also paid tribute to the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Health for putting in place clear guidelines and standard operating procedures to ensure that travelers do return to Uganda in a safe and orderly manner.  The flight that departed from the United States Friday is expected to arrive at Entebbe on Saturday July 18th 2020. 

A Special thank-you to the UGANDA EMBASSY, WASHINGTON, DC

For Inquiries contact:
Margaret Kafeero
+1202 726 6938