Uganda delegation in Saudi to cause probe into plight of migrants

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Dr Mohamed Ahamed Kisuule (R), the Senior Presidential Advisor on Middle East Affairs talks to Security Minister Gen Kahinda Otafiire at a function in Luweero District on August 24, 2022.PHOTO/DAN WANDERA

What you need to know:

  • There are over 200, 000 Ugandans working in Saudi Arabia alone with about 5 per cent of these known to be suffering, according to government.

A delegation of Ugandan officials is in Saudi Arabia to discuss the plight of migrants and cause an investigation into alleged mistreatment of the workers by their employers in the Middle East.

“I also believe that Saudi Arabia cannot be known for inhumane acts. We shall get the truth after the meeting,” Senior Presidential Advisor on Middle East Affairs Dr Muhammad Ahamed Kisuule said on Sunday.  

On August 22, the family of a migrant workerm Caroline Kyomuhangi, said to have died June 24 in the Gulf State- demonstrated at the Saudi embassy in Kampala- demanding a clear report on repeated migrant workers’ death abroad.

“I cannot confirm or deny the alleged incidents since investigations are ongoing. My duty is to ensure that the welfare of the migrant workforce in Saudi Arabia is catered for.

“We shall also get the opportunity to listen to the other side of the story and strike a balance,” Dr Kisuule observed without necessarily detailing the composition of the delegation sent by the foreign affairs ministry.  

Police load a coffin into their pick-up truck after members of The Torture Survivors Movement Uganda, who were demonstrating over the continued deaths and torture of migrant workers in Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries, dropped it outside the Saudi Arabia Embassy in Kampala on August 23, 2022. PHOTO | ABUBAKER LUBOWA

Ms Kyomuhangi’s family castigated both the Saudi Embassy and the Ugandan government for failing to explain the cause of her death and plans to repatriate the body.

“Both Uganda and Saudi Arabia should be able to identify the problem and find a solution,” Dr Kisuule told this reporter on August 28.

There are over 200, 000 Ugandans working in Saudi Arabia alone with about 5 per cent of these known to be suffering, according to government.