By Uganda’s delegation to the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York has been reduced to just five members after several government officials failed to secure entry visas to the United States.
Vice President Jessica Alupo, who is leading the Ugandan delegation, arrived in New York on September 21. She was accompanied by Health Minister Dr Chris Baryomunsi, Health Ministry Permanent Secretary Dr Diana Atwine, Foreign Affairs Minister Adonia Ayebare and her bodyguard.
The unusually small delegation is a sharp departure from Uganda’s usual representation at the annual UN gathering. According to media sources, Uganda has in previous years sent between 30 and 50 officials drawn from different ministries, departments and agencies.
Diplomatic sources said the five officials who travelled were selected from an initial list of 11, which was later reduced to seven before being cut to five. Some senior officials, including diplomats from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reportedly failed to obtain visas.
The US Embassy in Kampala declined to comment on individual visa cases, saying that visa records are confidential under US law.
The visa difficulties come amid heightened US public-health measures linked to the 2026 Ebola outbreak in the region. In May, the US Department of State temporarily paused visa services at its embassy in Kampala, citing the Ebola outbreak.
Although Uganda currently has no identified Ebola outbreak area in the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s August guidance, the CDC continues to maintain specific measures for travellers who have recently been in Uganda, including enhanced screening requirements for certain travellers.
For Uganda, the result is an unusually small presence at one of the world’s largest diplomatic gatherings, with Vice President Alupo carrying the country’s representation alongside only four other officials.
