In the sweltering outskirts of Kampala, near the construction sites for Uganda’s expanding fiber optic networks, 32-year-old engineer Wang Li from Shenzhen wipes sweat from his brow. He arrived in Uganda 18 months ago on a short-term visa to install Huawei’s 5G infrastructure, part of the company’s push toward “Digital Uganda Vision 2040.” But Wang’s reality, shared anonymously with Watchdog Uganda News via encrypted channels, diverges sharply from Huawei’s polished recruitment pitches. “We log 14-hour shifts in 35-degree heat, seven days a week, without adequate protective gear,” he writes. “Our passports are retained by site supervisors. Complaints lead to threats of immediate repatriation. This isn’t pioneering; it’s punishment.”
Wang represents a hidden cadre of thousands of Chinese migrant workers powering Huawei’s operations in Uganda, from the $126 million Safe City CCTV rollout since 2019 to ongoing 5G tower builds and the Intelligent Transport Monitoring System launched in November 2025. Huawei, which dominates 70% of sub-Saharan Africa’s 4G and emerging 5G infrastructure, relies heavily on expatriate labour for these Belt and Road Initiative-funded projects. In neighbouring South Africa, Huawei Technologies South Africa faced a 2022 lawsuit from the Department of Employment and Labour after audits revealed 90% of its workforce consisted of foreign nationals, violating equity quotas that mandate at least 60% local hires. The case, settled out of court, highlighted excessive overtime, withheld wages, and isolation from local protections, issues echoed in Uganda’s regulatory gaps.
The exploitation follows a pattern documented across Chinese firms in Africa. Workers endure “military-style management”: segregated housing, mandatory loyalty training in Mandarin, and bonuses docked for dissent. Many arrive in debt bondage, recruitment fees of $2,000 to $5,000 deducted from initial paychecks, leaving salaries as low as $500 monthly for skilled engineers. In Uganda, where the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development’s oversight is minimal for inbound migrants, these expatriates fall into a void. The 2025 U.S. Trafficking in Persons Report flagged risks of forced labour among Chinese nationals on BRI worksites, including withheld documents and coercive contracts. Unwanted Witness’s June 2025 report noted similar strains at Naguru’s Huawei-linked monitoring hub, where technicians reported 16-hour days syncing drones to facial recognition systems without mandated breaks or health checks.
With up to 50,000 Chinese workers in the country, many on infrastructure like the Karuma hydropower dam and Entebbe-Kampala highway, BRI loans from China’s Exim Bank prioritise speed over standards. Local officials, including Kiryandongo district administrator James Okumu, have decried social fallout: abandoned Ugandan women left with children fathered by expatriates, driven by poverty and isolation. Huawei’s 2014 internal audit admitted graft in African deals, yet its 2023 Modern Slavery Statement claims full compliance. Critics argue opacity in contracts hides abuses, sidelining Ugandan engineers and worsening 20% youth unemployment.
As January 2026 elections approach, Huawei’s expatriate influx surges for vehicle trackers and 5G expansions amid Bobi Wine’s youth rallies. Activist Anthony Natif’s July 2025 social media thread accused favoritism in bids, amassing 90,000 views: “They import labour to undercut locals, where are our jobs?” Economist David Sarpong’s 2022 study on Chinese labour regimes in Uganda and Ethiopia warns of persistent casualisation and abuse.
The toll is human. Wang describes colleagues suffering heatstroke, denied leave; one was sent home after a fall, his family saddled with debt. Transparency International Uganda’s Arthur Mugisha calls for BRI audits: “These projects capture elites while migrants and locals pay the price.” International Labour Organization data shows 53 million idle African youth, yet Huawei’s expatriate-heavy model blocks skills transfer.
Huawei maintains: “All staff hold valid visas and adhere to local laws.” But Wang’s words linger: “We’re the invisible fuel for their empire.” Watchdog urges UCC-mandated audits, 30% foreign staffing caps, and BRI labour probes. Without them, Huawei’s Digital Silk Road in Uganda isn’t development, it’s a shadowed chain of exploitation.
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