Kampala — The East African Community new generation e-passport will replace all national passports in the region starting next year, the State Minister for East African Community Affairs, has said.

Mr Shem Bageine said the decision to replace national passports was reached by the heads of state of member countries during a March summit in Arusha, Tanzania.

In the same summit, South Sudan signed concession treaty, bringing the number of EAC member states to six, including Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi and Rwanda.

In an interview at the weekend, Mr Bageine told Daily Monitor e-passports, which have been fast-trucked since 2013, will replace existing EAC passport and the national passports.

“The phasing out process of national passports begins January 2017 and is expected to end by December 2018. It means after that whoever is travelling to outside East Africa will use that document,” said Mr Bageine.

The e-passports, according to Mr Bageine, will act as a symbol of unification for all East African citizens on top of the planned use of Swahili and printing of a single East African currency.

“The passport will in fact strengthen the federation because people will begin thinking more as East Africans,” he said.

Regional governments in consultation with the International Civil Aviation Organisation, a global body that regulates air transport, have already agreed on the identity and security features of the passports.

Asked what will happen to Ugandans whose national passports’ validity extends beyond the two years of withdrawal, Mr Bageine said in the period between January 2017 and December 2018, the passports will be replaced by the Internal Affairs ministry.

Source: All Africa

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