Govt does not license unlegit labour companies: minister mutuuzo responds to shadow minister for foreign affairs

Over 2000 Ugandans stranded in UAE are helpless and Government says they are only 500 in number, Hon Muwada Nkunyingi Mp kyadondo East and Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs blames state Minister for Gender Labor and Social Development for failing to take upon responsibility as a minister and ministry at large, the ministry is money minded, he says.

Muwada, debating with the state minister for Gender Labor and Social Development Hon. Peace Mutuuzo at the NBS morning breeze on Monday on matters regarding labour export scam and how deep the crisis is, he shared experience on the visit to Saudi Arabia.

Labour externalisation has become just recrative not only to persons and companies involved but also to ministry of gender.

He however termed the current position for the ministry of gender as being idle and that the challenge is locally home.

He says, as an advocate he has hundled several matters in commercial court where companies in Uganda are being accused for soliciting and collecting money from workers and failing to provide the jobs.

Muwada added that the so called security deposit of 50m for the labor companies doesn't exist and ministry for Gender doesn't even know where the money exists, therefore the problem is home.

If companies where to be licenced in accordance to the laws and due deligence done this wouldn't be an issue but the regulator is also idling with the job, he said.

He gave an assumption that many of the companies do job adverts for a few jobs and receive over 500 applicants who pay for application fees hence the companies find it difficult to decline some of them.

Florence Twinomugisha a victim who went to Saudi Arabia in April 2021 through a company called VBC labor experts in Makindye Salaama at a fee of 200,000 ugx only says that contracts change at arrival while in Saudi Arabia and the Arabs bosses disregard them by implement their own guidelines.

According to the contract, Twinomugisha says she had to work as a maid with a salary of 1.2m, had to be with a phone for communicating to people at home and get enough time to rest.

However, what she expected was different when found herself working day and night and no day off despite of sickness.

" My sister came in 2022 through the same company ( VBC) and spent two months without getting a work place, she could be lined up like slaves every morning with other girls and the lucky ones where taken by Arab bosses." Twinomugisha added.

Having tried to contact the company agent VBC in Uganda trying to help the sister find work in Saudi Arabia, the agent didn't not respond, she said.

Twinomugisha later received a WhatsApp image from the VBC company agent indicating how her sister had a brain surgery and was bed ridden to death, not even an air return ticket was given to her by VBC.

The state minister for Gender Labor and Social Development has disregarded all allegations for government licensing unlegit companies allegedly trafficking a thousands of Ugandans to UAE.

She said that government has no bilateral agreement with Oman and whoever Ugandan is in Oman is there on his or her own, when a recruitment company gets a job order the ministry is informed through through the information management system, get to know where the job order is place, go through a job training session and at every level the government updates and tries to mitigate the challenges.

In defense, Mutuuzo said that in January Hon. Betty Amongi travelled to UAE to find ways on how to support the Ugandans and put in one center, fed and accomodated in coordination with the UAE government.