The Ministry of Gender, in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism, has threatened to evoke permits of tour and travel companies involved in the trafficking of Ugandans abroad.

This was revealed by the State Minister for Labor, Employment, and Industrial Relations, Esther Anyakun, on November 11, 2024, while addressing journalists at the Uganda Media Centre upon providing an update on the release of Ugandans from detention centers in Saudi Arabia.

She cautioned tour and travel companies involved in unlawful exportation of Ugandans abroad without proper licensing, noting that the companies in question will soon have their licenses evoked if they don’t stop the vice, which endangers many Ugandan lives, especially with many Ugandans in the past being ill treated, dying, and contracting strange diseases because of trafficking.

“Anybody who is transporting Ugandans while they are not licensed is a trafficker and criminal. You are supposed to register and license yourself with the Ministry of Gender because the system is able to know where they are in addition to coordinating with the company receiving them on the other end,” Anyakun said.

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Anyakun guided that registration by a known and licensed labor export company eases the process of follow-up on workers and provision of assistance in case of any trouble.

Uganda’s labor laws for those working abroad include regulations on recruitment, employment contracts, and repatriation. The Employment (Recruitment of Ugandan Migrant Workers Abroad) Regulations 2005 also require licensed recruitment agencies.

Ugandan labor laws are designed to promote equality and prevent discrimination in the workplace. The Employment Act explicitly prohibits discrimination on various grounds, including race, color, sex, religion, political opinion, national extraction, social origin, HIV status, disability, and marital status.