Second batch of Ugandans repatriated from Saudi Arabia

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A total of 146 Ugandans who were stuck in various prisons in Saudi Arabia after they were arrested for various offences have been repatriated to their motherland in a major Ugandan government initiative.

This number has this week risen from the 57 who were returned from the same country last week.

The state minister for labour, employment and industrial relations, Esther Anyakun, told the media in Kampala on Monday (November 11) that the repatriated Ugandans were recently pardoned by the Saudi government.

“This (repatriation of 146 Ugandans) represents a significant advancement and highlights the Ugandan government’s dedication to the well-being of its citizens overseas,” she said. 

Senior presidential advisor on diaspora affairs Abbey Walusimbi is spearheading a recently launched Ugandan government initiative that aims at documenting and repatriating over 800 nationals stuck in the Gulf states by the end of January 2025.

He told New Vision Online on November 6, 2024, that the move followed a surge in complaints of exploitation by Ugandans who went to the Gulf states as migrant workers.

“Many of these Ugandans we are seeking to repatriate are in Saudi Arabia (over 582) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has over 100. We also have those that have been sentenced to life in prison in Jordan,” he said on the phone.

The envoy noted that many of the Ugandans in the Gulf states are stranded on the streets and others facing several charges, including illegal stay and prostitution.

Over the past decade, the number of Ugandan migrant workers in the Gulf has risen dramatically, with Saudi Arabia hosting over 200,000 workers, making it the largest destination for Ugandan labour migration.

However, both domestic and foreign enforcement of labour protections remain inadequate, leaving many workers vulnerable to exploitation and debt bondage.

Vision Group probe

The plight of migrant workers in the Middle East is told by the harrowing stories of gross abuse and violation of labour rights. They travel long distances from their homes for better opportunities only to be tortured, raped and killed.

In April 2020, a Vision Group undercover journalist endured the mistreatment and returned to tell the story of inhuman treatment. Ugandans who return home are always physically, psychologically and emotionally scarred. However, despite the mistreatment, hundreds are still travelling to the Middle East for jobs.