Saudi Arabia to pardon jailed Ugandans
Senior presidential envoy on diaspora affairs Abbey Walusimbi interacts with State Minister for Labour, Esther Davinia Anyakun, (R) during a conference on fighting against drug and human trafficking in Kampala on October 19, 2024. PHOTO/HANDOUT
What you need to know:
- Uganda estimates that there are 150,000 Ugandans living in Saudi Arabia many of them being maids. Uganda and Saudi Arabia have an agreement to allow labour migrants to Riyadh.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is to pardon an unknown number of Ugandans held in their deportation centres and prisons before repatriating them to Uganda after negotiations with the government.
The number of Ugandans to be pardoned will be known 60 days from now after Saudi Arabia has carried out verification of the population of Ugandans migrants living in their country.
The state minister for Labour, Employment and Industrial Relations, Ms Esther Anyakun, said: “I have the pleasure to announce that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has agreed to pardon Ugandan migrant workers who have been stranded in deportation centres and prisons across the country.”
The decision came after a meeting held between the Ugandan delegation led by Ms Anyakun and Saudi Arabia’s minister for Human Resources and Social Development, Mr Ahmed Alrajhu, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, last week.
Uganda estimates that there are 150,000 Ugandans living in Saudi Arabia many of them being maids. Uganda and Saudi Arabia have an agreement to allow labour migrants to Riyadh.
However, many are alleged to have been trafficked to Saudi Arabia illegally, making it difficult to know the exact number.
Even the maids that have travelled to Saudi Arabia legally have been complaining about their human rights being abused by their employers.
In some incidents, migrants have lost their lives while others have been dismissed from their jobs without pay, leaving them unable to return back to Uganda.
ALSO READ: My life as a migrant worker in Saudi Arabia
Ms Anyakun said Saudi Arabia promised to repatriate stranded Ugandans back to the East African country.
“This unprecedented move is expected to bring relief to numerous Ugandan families, many of whom have been living in uncertainty regarding the fate of their loved ones who travelled to Saudi Arabia with a hope of making a livelihood and supporting their families back in Uganda,” Ms Anyakun said.
audi Arabia officials accuse some of the jailed people of committing crimes such as dealing in illicit drugs, prostitution, robberies and murders.
Last week, the Uganda security agencies, Labour ministry and that of Foreign Affairs established a committee to ensure that Ugandans are not trafficked into Saudi Arabia and the Middle East.
Recently, the courts in Uganda tasked the labour export companies to ensure the rights of the people for whom they find jobs abroad.
