Three Ugandans reportedly detained in Thailand after being lured with promises of employment were victims of human trafficking and did not travel through Uganda’s legally established labour externalisation programme, the Government has told Parliament.
The three—Amon Kisakye, David Mushaijad and Samuel Kusima—were reportedly promised jobs in Thailand by an organisation operating as Result Recruitment Company but were later reported to have been detained at Chanthaburi Provincial Prison. Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development Lt. Gen. Henry Tumukunde disclosed this in a statement submitted to Parliament in response to concerns raised by Soroti City Woman Representative Joan Acom Alobo.
Tumukunde said Result Recruitment Company is not a licensed labour recruitment agency and is not registered in the Ministry’s External Employment Management Information System (EEMIS), which is used to manage the formal recruitment and deployment of Ugandans seeking employment abroad.
He said the Ministry also has no arrangement for sending Ugandan migrant workers to Thailand, meaning the three did not travel through the Government’s regulated labour migration system. “This is a case of trafficking in persons which should be investigated by Police and the Anti-Trafficking Unit under the Ministry of Internal Affairs,” the Minister said in the statement.
Tumukunde said the Government had previously received reports of Ugandans being trafficked to Thailand, Myanmar and Cambodia, adding that no licensed recruitment company had been identified as officially externalising Ugandan workers to those countries. He asked Alobo to provide additional information concerning the three Ugandans to assist investigations and enable authorities to identify and prosecute those responsible.
The Ministry will also work with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to establish the circumstances surrounding the detention of the three Ugandans. The case has highlighted the risks faced by Ugandans seeking employment abroad through unlicensed recruitment networks, despite the existence of a government-regulated labour externalisation programme. The programme, introduced in 2005, was designed to provide Ugandans seeking employment abroad with a formal and regulated pathway while addressing unemployment. It is governed by the Employment Act, 2006, and the Employment (Recruitment of Ugandan Migrant Workers) Regulations, 2021.
According to the Ministry, 230 recruitment companies are currently licensed to source and formally place Ugandans in jobs abroad. Workers cleared through the system are required to have employment contracts that provide safeguards including guaranteed wages, emergency medical care, workers’ compensation and protection against work-related hazards.
The Ministry said it has intensified public awareness campaigns and works with Police to conduct operations against unlicensed recruitment agencies. It also imposes sanctions on companies found violating labour externalisation regulations. The Government has further digitised recruitment and clearance through EEMIS, allowing real-time transmission of migrant workers’ information and facilitating consular assistance for Ugandans abroad.
Uganda has also entered bilateral labour agreements with Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Qatar, as well as a memorandum of understanding with the United Arab Emirates, aimed at strengthening the protection and governance of migrant workers. The Ministry said it has also established the Saudi 116 call centre to register and follow up on complaints from migrant workers and channel them to relevant Ministry officials or Ugandan diplomatic missions abroad-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
