UMSC to monitor recruitment of Ugandans working in UAE

The Uganda Muslims Supreme Council (UMSC) has revealed that they have finalised a plan to start monitoring Ugandans working in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) through the labour recruitment agencies.

Speaking to the media after an engagement meeting with a delegation from Uganda Association of External Recruitment Agencies at Old Kampala on Wednesday, the deputy Mufti, Sheikh Abdallah Ibrahim Ssemambo, said as a religious institution, they need to inspect the recruitment and placement process of Ugandans in UAE.

“Our responsibility will mainly focus on monitoring the casual labourers annually to see if the working conditions on their contracts are implemented well and getting their salaries on time,” he said.

Sheikh Ssemambo added that UMSC will also screen all external recruitment agencies to ensure that they were verified and registered by the government.

“After screening the companies, we shall be in a position to follow up the cases of mistreatment which Ugandans are complaining about while on duty, sexual harassment by the agents and their employers and human trafficking because it is one of the reasons why Ugandans are over staying in UAE,” he said.

He added: “Since UAE is a Muslim-based country, we think that collaborating with UMSC which is a religious institution will ease the process of following some cases and getting more opportunities.”

The chairperson of the Uganda Association of External Recruitment Agencies, Mr Baker Akatambira, said their collaboration with UMSC will help strengthen partnerships with Middle Eastern countries based on religious norms.

“We are licensed labour companies formed purposely to find jobs for unemployed Ugandans, especially the youth, and since we are dealing with Muslim countries, we think it is appropriate to let UMSC, the custodian of Muslim affairs, know our existence,” Mr Akatambira said.

 When asked about the harassment cases, Mr Akatambira said Ugandans, who are using fake agents to go abroad, are the ones facing such consequences but registered companies follow up with their clients.

“In such incidents, we try to work with family members and government to see how we can rescue workers who are stranded but it’s not common with registered companies,” he said.

Stranded Ugandans from UAE

In September last year, the government revealed a plan to repatriate more than 400 stranded Ugandans who had overstayed their tourist and visit visas.

Gender minister Betty Amongi said there have been several reports in the media of Ugandans stranded abroad.

Ms Amongi said some of the cases were genuine and the ministry was able to intervene and assist those affected. These included cases of trafficking or overstaying their tourist or visit visas.

She urged Ugandans who wish to travel abroad to do so through formal channels, adding that they are working closely with the ministries of Internal Affairs and Foreign Affairs to combat trafficking of Ugandans to the UAE and other Middle East countries.

The National Unity Platform (NUP) party was also able to repatriate more than 142 Ugandans last year.

The law

The Externalisation of Labour Programme is regulated by the Employment Act and the Employment (Recruitment of Ugandan Migrant Workers Abroad) Regulations 2022. The objective of both instruments is to protect the rights of migrant workers through stringent licensing requirements and placement procedures.

Under the said legal framework, a person cannot transact business as a recruitment agency in Uganda without a valid licence. Today, there are 306 licensed recruitment companies in Uganda.