Taiwan has accused Ugandan immigration authorities of withholding the passports of three Taiwanese nationals who arrived at Entebbe International Airport, raising concerns that the move could be linked to Taiwan’s earlier restrictions on Ugandan travellers over the Ebola outbreak.
According to Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the three nationals arrived at Entebbe at around 3pm on Wednesday, August 12, 2026. Although they were reportedly allowed to enter Uganda, immigration officials allegedly declined to return their Taiwanese passports.
Taiwan said the officials instead asked the travellers to provide Chinese passports for entry stamps, citing Uganda’s adherence to the One China principle. Taiwan’s representative office responsible for Uganda and members of the Taiwanese business community reportedly intervened to help resolve the situation.
The incident is not the first involving Taiwanese travellers at Entebbe. Taiwan said two similar cases had previously occurred, including one in which a Taiwanese national was reportedly denied entry and sent back.
Taiwanese authorities suspect the actions may be connected to Taipei’s decision on June 2 to suspend visa issuance and entry for Ugandan nationals following the Ebola outbreak. Yen Chia-liang, head of Taiwan’s Department of West Asian and African Affairs, said retaliation could not be ruled out, although he also pointed to Uganda’s position on the One China policy as a possible factor.
The dispute comes after Uganda officially declared itself free of Ebola on July 28, following 42 days without recording a new infection. Uganda had earlier criticised countries that continued imposing travel restrictions on its citizens, arguing that blanket measures were unnecessary and could hurt trade, tourism and other economic activities.
Taiwan has now advised its citizens to reconsider non-essential travel to Uganda while it seeks clarification from Kampala. Taipei has also urged Uganda not to impose what it considers inappropriate restrictions against Taiwanese travellers for political reasons.
The latest dispute adds to growing pressure on Uganda to respond to countries that have maintained Ebola-related restrictions despite the country being declared Ebola-free. Uganda has not publicly confirmed any change in its entry requirements for Taiwanese nationals or formally responded to Taiwan’s latest accusations, leaving the issue awaiting clarification from Kampala.
