By Sadique Bamwita
ENTEBBE
The Ministry of Gender, Labor and Social Development is seeking a supplementary budget to enable it repatriate the overwhelming number of migrant workers who are still stuck and languishing in various dentition centers in the Middle East countries.
This was revealed on November 9, 2024, by the Ministry spokesman, Joshua Kyalimpa, while receiving 34 migrant workers, who were pardoned by the Saudi’s government after negotiations between the government of Uganda and that of Saudi Arabia. Currently the total number of repatriated Ugandan migrant workers stands at 114 returnees.
While addressing the press at Entebbe International Airport, Kyalimpa, noted that initially the Ministry had planned little resources for repatriating migrant workers since the government was not sure of the number of stranded workers but given the prevailing situation, the Ministry now wants parliament to pass a supplementary budget to enable the return of the overwhelming number of migrant workers who were pardoned by the Saudi Arabia government and awaiting repatriation to Uganda.
He disclosed that the Gender ministry has already written to parliament to come up with a supplementary budget to facilitate the repatriation of stranded Ugandan migrant workers in the Middle East.
He added that government has also engaged different partners including the International Organization for Migration (IOM) who have accepted to offer counseling services to returnees before reintegrating them in their respective communities.
“The number of pardoned migrant Ugandan workers in Saudi Arabia is still big and we want them returned soon. However to return them to Uganda, there must be enough funding provided in the national budget to facilitate their repatriation. The good news is that, the Minister for Gender has already taken this issue to parliament to process a supplementary budget to facilitate the return of the remaining Ugandan migrant workers in the Middle East countries.
“We have started documenting them and the next step is that upon their return, we will support them financially such that once reintegrated in their respective communities, they should be able to fend for themselves, “Mr. Kyalimpa told the press.
The president for Federation of All Migrant workers’ Association, Kenneth Olooka, urged the government to come up with a systematic monitoring system to monitor Ugandan migrant workers in the Middle East.
“Many Ugandan migrant workers are still stranded in Saudi Arabia at various deportation stations, reception centers and in detention centers. As advocates for migrant workers we have initiated talks with the government to repatriate the remaining Ugandan Migrant workers not only in Saudi Arabia but also in other countries. We have intensified negotiations with outside countries to allow us return our migrant workers. It’s against this backdrop that we call upon the government to establish a migrant workers’ fund to deal with issues of migrant workers, “Mr. Olooka appealed to government.
Mr. Olooka also tasked government to establish legal teams at its embassies and missions in the Middle East to fight for the justice of Ugandan migrant workers who are ruthlessly mistreated in various detention centers.
“ It’s too absurd that many of these migrant workers have returned with unpaid contracts, chopped salaries, severely bruised bodies without being given justice and their Saudi employers have gone unpunished . We call upon the government to consider the issue of justice for our migrant workers because there is still a big number to repatriate to Uganda. Most of these migrant workers were charged with stealing gold, jewelry and money, fighting their Saudi bosses, beating children for their bosses and consequently end up being thrown behind bars,” he added.
‘We have information that more than 500 migrant workers are still in dentition centers in Saudi Arabia and we call upon their relatives to liaise with us to be able to repatriate them wherever they are detained. We are very ready to document them and we will facilitate their repatriation process, “Mr. Olooka pledged.
Some of the returned migrant workers narrated their ordeal to us and this is what they told us:
Hanifah Mutesi said that: “While in detention they used to beat us as if we are not human beings. We were overworked and starved in addition to keeping us indoors for some days. So due to this undesirable situation, some of us decided to flee their homes but in the process we were arrested and falsely charged with theft of gold, jewelry and money whereas this was not true at all. My friend one Shamim was arrested and detained on false accusations of stealing her boss’ jewelry. So far, she has spent one year and a half in jail yet she never committed any offense. She wants to return to Uganda to look after her children but the Saudi’s authorities have refused to free her. Whenever we report to our labor export companies that took us to work, they instead pay deaf ear and call us lazy people who don’t want to work whereas this is untrue.
“The wives of our bosses don’t want us to be close to their husbands and the moment they learn that you are close to their husbands, they finish you off without mercy.’
Jalia Nansubuga who spoke to us with tears rolling down her cheeks intimated us that:
‘I went through a disastrous situation. My phone was confiscated and I was falsely accused of attempting to kill my boss’ child, an allegation that was totally false. They descend on us and force us into painful sex. Because of this ugly situation, I was forced to flee from my boss’ home but when police got me, they just arrested me and threw me behind bars.
‘We have colleagues who have been in Saudi’s jails for more than 10 years and they are still rotting there. There are also colleagues who have been psychologically tortured in jails and most of them are now mad people who are chained in the detention centers. The Saudis undress us and seriously torment us. My colleague whom I was working with under the same boss lost her life and she was buried a few days ago here in Uganda. Indeed, I regret going to Saudi Arabia, “tearful Jalia told us.
Sarah Nakiwala also a returnee shared with us a shocking story and narrated to us that: “My madam attacked me in the bathroom because I was demanding her salary arrears for 7 months. I fought her and managed to defeat her. She opted to pay me arrears for only 3 months and when I asked the remaining balance she told me her decision is final and unquestionable.
‘Where I have been in Jordan the situation is worse and the government should ban labor export in this country. We are treated like slaves yet slave trade ended decades ago. One of my friends was stabbed by my boss’ son for delaying to serve him food and water.’
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