After travelers complained of few immigration staff and long queues in the wee hours of the morning at Entebbe Airport, the government has responded by providing self-service e-kiosks to be installed by the Dutch firm Gemalto.
The machines, which will be installed this year, will feature fingerprint and facial recognition, combined with a passport scan to ensure accurate identification, creating a faster and more convenient border crossing experience for travelers and strengthening internal security, according to a statement from Gemalto.
“Once implementation of the e-Immigration solution is complete, passengers will enjoy the option of a rapid, self-guided pathway through border control, whilst authorities are provided with comprehensive, real-time data on departures from Uganda,” Gemalto said.
Jacob Siminyu, the spokesperson of the Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control confirmed that Gemalto is a contractor of the agency, but did not give further details of the deal. Meanwhile, Vianney Luggya, the Manager Public Affairs at the Civil Aviation Authority, said the self-service e-kiosks will certainly be a welcome addition at the airport.
Gemalto noted that the self-service e-kiosks will deliver a safer and speedier experience for passengers in Uganda. They revealed that kiosks will be built on the Gemalto Visa Management System that was first deployed in 2014 by the Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control, which is part of the internal affairs ministry.
“Entebbe international airport welcomed over 1.5 million travellers in 2017, and the new e-kiosks will further boost its capacity.