Govt moves to crack down on trafficking among Ugandan pilgrims

Ugandan government agencies have vowed to crack down on human and drug trafficking among the country’s pilgrims on foreign soil.  

State authorities, mostly those concerned with diaspora affairs, say they are dismayed by growing rates of racketeering, human and drug trafficking involving Ugandans.

“We are a country of hope, yet these activities are casting a dark shadow over us. We need to act decisively now,” senior presidential advisor on diaspora affairs Abbey Walusimbi said, speaking barely two months after two Ugandan women were arrested on arrival at Madinah Airport in Saudi Arabia with suspected narcotics.

Now, the envoy says the country must exercise a high degree of action to combat crimes related to illegal transportation of humans or prohibited items beyond Ugandan territory.

“This calls for immediate creation of a robust coordination team that will dismantle trafficking networks and prevent further harm to Uganda’s image,” he told Monitor in a brief statement on Monday.

Walusimbi further disclosed that a delegation from the Ugandan presidency and the Ministry of Gender is due to travel to the Gulf region –soon- to engage Middle East countries on ending illegal schemes or organized crime risking Uganda’s global repute.

On October 19, Ugandan diaspora stakeholders including the presidency, foreign affairs, security officials, the gender ministry, immigration and labour recruitment agencies, met in Kampala to discuss means to of preventing entry and exit of narcotics through annual Hajj and Umrah pilgrims.

“President Museveni has been receiving reports that Ugandans are increasingly being linked to drug and human trafficking. He has called for cooperation among stakeholders to create awareness and develop strategies to combat this illegal trade,” said senior presidential advisor on Middle East Affairs Dr Mohamed A Kisuule in remarks delivered by Yunus Kakande.

Available government data suggests that drug lords lure desperate Ugandans, mainly women, into perilous drug trafficking business in Saudi Arabia, India and China among other countries.

On Saturday, Crime Intelligence Director Brig Gen Christopher Ddamulira told a gathering of more than 300 high ranking government officials in Kampala that security agencies are considering advanced technology to detect and prevent trafficking.

On her part, labour state minister Esther Anyakun, decried tales of human exploitation during her recent visit to the Gulf.

“Those involved in drug trafficking face severe consequences because these are capital offences, and their [Saudi Arabia] laws cannot be bent,” she observed, citing Ugandans who “ignorantly trafficked with drugs.”

Uganda’s deputy Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Sulaiman Guggwa, pledged stronger partnerships with global anti-human trafficking agencies as he called on all parties to “focus on creating comprehensive solutions.”

Annually, customs officials seize drugs valued in the range of Shs100 billion from Ugandan drug lords while more than 1,000 cases of human trafficking are recorded every year in the same country.