UAE gives illegal Ugandan migrants amnesty

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The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has given illegal Ugandan migrant workers 90 days to leave the country without being fined or jailed on arrival at any airport.  

“This amnesty by the UAE to Ugandans currently residing in the UAE without proper documentation or facing legal issues will remain in place until December 2024,” Ugandan state minister for labour, employment and industrial relations, Esther Anyakun, said on Monday, November 11.

She was addressing a press conference at the Uganda Media Centre in Kampala over a new Ugandan government initiative to repatriate stranded nationals from the Gulf states.

Anyakun urged undocumented Ugandans in the UAE to turn to their embassy or any closest airport for help to leave the oil-rich country.

“For individuals seeking to benefit from this amnesty, kindly head to the closest airport and organise your return trip to Uganda. The ministry is partnering with the International Organisation for Migration to offer counselling, rehabilitation and re-integration of the returnees,” she said.

Without giving the number of illegal Ugandans workers expected to leave as a 90-day amnesty gets underway, the minister noted that the move is a significant advancement and highlights the Government’s dedication to the well-being of its citizens overseas.

UAE and other Middle Eastern countries depend on foreign workers, but most do menial jobs.

However, the plight of migrant workers in the Gulf states 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.