Worker sues NGO over discrimination

Kampala- A Ugandan citizen has sued Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO), an international non-governmental organisation, for allegedly discriminating against him on racial grounds.

Mr Fred Kugonza, in a suit filed before the Kenya Industrial Court, states that while working for the NGO in Guyana, South America, he was not accorded equal treatment with other volunteer staff from the continent in the area of housing and accommodation.

“The claimant (Mr Kugonza) further states that the respondent (VSO) always traumatised and failed to ensure equal treatment of the volunteers irrespective of race in that the respondent gave preferential treatment to volunteers of Caucasian race over and to prejudice of volunteers of non-Caucasian race, including the claimant (Mr Kugonza) when providing housing, medical and insurance contrary to the respondent’s Handbook 2008, the Employment Act 2007 and the laws of Kenya,” the claim adds.

Mr Kugonza claims that he signed a volunteer placement agreement with the NGO in which he was to be paid Guyana dollars 54,000. He was also, according to the agreement, entitled to housing, medical, and insurance allowances.

However, through his lawyers of Sichangi Partners Advocates, Mr Kugonza says VSO, with intent to torture, victimise and traumatise him, always compelled him to share accommodation with other indisciplined workers.

He avers that in 2011, VSO compelled him to share housing with a volunteer who had been rejected by others for his abusive and rude character.

He also states that the NGO has admitted that former coloured volunteers from Kenya were mistreated, neglected and their life was put at risk by racist officers in the Guyana office.

Mr Kugonza’s work at the NGO entailed recruiting skilled professionals from Kenya and Uganda to serve as volunteers in VSO programme in 44 countries spread out in Africa, Latin America, Asia and the Pacific.
[email protected]