Ugandan authorities begun the phased deportation of 169 foreign nationals arrested in an intelligence-led operation in Kampala’s Bukoto–Ntinda area, after they were found in alleged violation of immigration laws.
This happened in a crackdown targeting suspected illegal residency and cyber-scamming activities.
Assistant Commissioner for Inspection and Compliance at the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Robert Kahwa Kato, said the deportations began on Friday, May 1, 2026, and are being carried out in stages due to limited flight availability.
Kato said 23 individuals were deported on the first day, 18 more were scheduled to leave on Friday, and the process will continue through Monday.
“The challenge we have is that most of the flights are full, and that’s why we cannot take them in mass at the same time, but they are all going to be removed from the country as scheduled, each one of them,” Kahwa told journalists at the Ministry headquarters in Kampala.
The group was arrested on Monday night from a single, heavily restricted apartment complex in Bukoto, a Kampala suburb, following what officials described as a coordinated intelligence operation. Authorities said the suspects were found to have violated Uganda’s immigration laws by working without valid work permits while holding visitor visas.
According to the Ministry, the group includes nationals from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Ghana, Myanmar, Ethiopia, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Thailand, Nepal, Indonesia and Malaysia. Officials said 36 of those arrested were women.
Kahwa said each of the individuals was fined USD400 (about Sh51,660.00) and required to pay for their return air tickets before deportation.
Ministry spokesperson Simon Peter Mundeyi said security agencies also recovered a large number of computers and other IT equipment from the premises, which are believed to have been used in illegal online activities.
“We recovered a significant cache of computers and IT equipment used to facilitate illegal gaming, betting and organised scamming,” Mundeyi said, adding that the apartment complex was highly controlled, self-contained, and designed to restrict movement with strict access and exit procedures.
Authorities also linked the case to broader concerns about tax evasion and loss of government revenue, arguing that foreign nationals working without permits deprive the state of non-tax revenue collected through work authorisation.
Meanwhile, 62 Nigerian nationals arrested in a separate operation in Adjumani District on April 27 are still under interrogation over similar allegations, including illegal stay and unauthorised activities involving a church, according to officials.
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