According to the Ministry of Gender, 452 Ugandans are
awaiting deportation from Dubai and other cities in the United Arab Emirates.
A large number of Ugandans are currently employed in Middle
Eastern countries such as Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia,
among others, with the majority of these being females.
However, in recent weeks, there have been reports that many
of these people have become stranded and are sleeping on the streets,
particularly in Dubai.
Betty Amongi, the Gender Minister, told journalists on
Thursday that the ministry investigated the reports to determine the veracity
of the reports.
"Some of the cases turned out to be hoaxes."
"The majority of genuine cases have been victims of human trafficking or
individuals who traveled alone and overstayed their tourist or visit
visas," Amongi explained.
According to him, the minister revealed in an August 2022
report by the Ugandan Mission in Abu Dhabi that many Ugandans illegally
residing in the UAE have been living on the streets.
"According to the report, the UAE authorities offered
free tickets to all illegal immigrants in early August 2022." As a result,
many illegal migrant workers have presented themselves at the Al Awir
Immigration Centre for evaluation and eventual repatriation to Uganda."
The minister revealed that none of the 452 Ugandans who had
reported to the Al Awir immigration center had gone to the UAE through
recruitment agencies, but rather on their own.
She urged Ugandans to use recruitment agencies because they
can easily seek redress if they encounter problems while working in the UAE or
elsewhere.
According to Ministry of Gender data, there are currently
200,000 Ugandans working in the Middle East.
Saudi Arabia has the most, with 156,281 Ugandans, followed
by the UAE with 20486 and Qatar with 10203.
