The government of the Republic of Uganda, through the Ministry of Gender, Labour, and Social Development has repatriated more other 20 Ugandans from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
These Ugandan girls landed at Entebbe International Airport on Monday 4th, November, via Air Arabia at around 08 00 pm. The number of repatriates has now increased to 80, and this is due to the historic agreement reached by Uganda’s Minister of State for Labour, Hon. Esther Anyakun Davinia, and Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Human Resources, Eng. Ahmed Alrajhi aimed to see hundreds of Ugandans stranded in Saudi deportation centers and prisons pardoned and repatriated.
The deal was reached following a high-level meeting between the two officials from October 14-17, 2024, in Riyadh.
According to Joshua Kyalimpa, the public relations officer at the Ministry of Gender, Labour, and Social Development, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia agreed to pardon Ugandan migrant workers stranded in deportation centers and prisons for non-capital offenses, with particular attention to women with children born in Saudi Arabia and those held for minor infractions.
He also highlighted that on other hand, Ugandans sentenced for serious crimes such as drug trafficking and murder among others are not eligible for the pardon.
This collaboration is seen as a crucial step in addressing the long-standing issues faced by Ugandan workers in Saudi Arabia and the broader Middle East.
“After the arrival of another bunch of Ugandans to return home, the Ministry of Gender now must see that these fellows are rehabilitated and integrated into the society,” he said.
Esther Nabaju, a representative from the External Labour Association of Uganda (ELAU), an association for companies that recruit and deploy Ugandans in different countries, appreciated the government of Uganda for the collaborative efforts towards the repatriation of these Ugandans as well as for encouraging the public to not blame the travel agencies because some challenges faced by such Ugandans abroad are beyond their mandate.
“Sometimes their diplomatic relations which have to be involved in solving some problems like those who have been in prison which has to be a government to government negotiations. Therefore, we thank the government of the Republic of Uganda for having taken this initiative to clear, help, and repatriate these migrant workers safely,” she said.
The president of the Federation of All Uganda Migrant Workers’ Associations (FAUMWA), Kenneth Oloka noted that however much 80 have repatriated so far, many are still stranded and therefore called the government for more intervention so that they are all returned home.
“Many Ugandans, especially women employed as domestic workers, have reported cases of mistreatment, including physical and emotional abuse, exploitation, delayed or withheld wages, and harsh working conditions. Some have found themselves stranded without proper documentation, ending up in deportation centers or prisons after attempting to escape abusive employers,” Oloka highlighted.
Over the past years, the number of Ugandan migrant workers has risen, with Saudi Arabia hosting more than 100,000 workers, making it the largest destination for Ugandan labour migrants.
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