An audit into the numbers of refugees in Uganda has uncovered that previously reported figures were over-estimated by more than 300,000 people, BBC reports.
It follows allegations earlier this year that corrupt Uganda government officials had inflated the refugee figures. Four officials in the department of refugees were suspended.
Uganda has been widely praised for its immigration policies at a time when some Western countries are closing their borders, and described as one of the best places in the world to be a refugee.
In a joint statement, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) and the prime minister’s office said that the discrepancy in the figures was expected because of the huge numbers that were pouring into Uganda from South Sudan between 2016 and 2017.
Some refugees may have registered at more than one centre, while some may have moved back across the borders.
It confirmed that the number of refugees in the country has been found to be 1.1 million people, and not 1.4 million as previously reported. That is a difference of more than 20%.
The now-concluded verification process began in March and was conducted in refugee settlements across the country, according to the UNHCR and the Ugandan government.
