MPs Call On Govt To Bailout Ugandans Trapped In UAE.
Legislators Are Concerned That Many Lack Travel Documents.
A section of legislators who visited the Middle east recently to check on the state of Ugandan immigrant workers has urged the government to bail out hundreds of Ugandans detained in the United Arab Emirates without passports and other travel documents and facilitate their repatriation.
The shadow minister of Foreign affairs Muwada Nkunyingi told the press today that the ministry of gender understated the number of Ugandans trapped in UAE that needs repatriation.
The Ministry for Gender, Labor and Social Development yesterday revealed that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) together with the government of Uganda have finalized plans to repatriate over 400 Ugandans who have overstayed their tourist and visit visas in Dubai and other cities.
However, the Kyadondo East member of Parliament and the shadow minister of Foreign Affairs Muwada Nkunyingi has come out to question the government’s plan to repatriate detained Ugandan immigrant workers in UAE saying many issues have not been sorted between Uganda and UAE yet the number of victims was understated.
While addressing the press at parliament, Muwada, who returned from the UAE last month, said that the ministry of gender understated the number of victims saying over 3,000 Ugandans are detained in Al Awir Prison in the United Arab Emirates, with the majority of the detainees being girls. He says the government of the UAE is willing to release them provided they get travel documents, passports, and a one-way ticket which government can provide.
According to Muwada, the majority of those in detention are facing charges of illegal stay since they entered the UAE on a visit visa. He reveals photos of some other Ugandans in Dubai sleeping on streets and train stations after failing to find jobs.
He has been joined by the Aruu County legislator Christopher Komakech who also visited the middle east over the same matter to demand the government to use Uganda Airlines to repatriate all Ugandans that are detained not the 400 alone.
Legislators also demand transparency over bilateral agreements between Uganda and Middle Eastern countries and where possible to consider canceling them for the safety of Ugandans.
