The Busiro County East Member of Parliament, Medard Lubega Ssegona has requested the Deputy Speaker of Parliament Jacob Oulanyah to institute a special committee to investigate all labour exporting companies.
Ssegona’s request follows a complaint raised by Mukono Municipality lawmaker Betty Nambooze who said Ugandan girls are being sold into slavery in Arab countries by some companies camouflage as labour exporting firms.
“We need to stop labour exportation for now because many of our girls in Arab countries are suffering and companies that connected them to such jobs are not helping them because some don’t exist,” said Nambooze on Tuesday last week during the Parliamentary plenary.
On Thursday, Ssegona said a lot of accusations have been made by some of the people that have left the country and government has done nothing to curb operations of fake companies.
“This is a public concern. I request Parliament to form a special committee if the government is not considering our people who suffering in Arabian countries,” he said.
This forced Oulanyah to amend the order paper and called the State Minister for Gender, Peace Mutuuzo to address the August House on the issue of externalisation of labour.
Mutuuzo said the government is aware of the risks that come along with working outside the country, however, it’s working hard to see that externalisation of labour is streamlined.
“We are all aware that Uganda’s economy cannot fully employ all its citizens, so it’s prudent that government allows citizens to look for jobs in other bigger economies in the world,” said Mutuuzo.
She added that the government is seeking for Shs5bn to streamline labour exportation to standard levels where fake companies will no longer be able to operate a step which will also help to avoid human trafficking.
Mutuuzo’s suggestion was supported by Lwemiyaga legislator Theodore Ssekikubo who said that if it’s true that externalisation of labour brings close to Shs2.2 trillion to Uganda, there should be standards set to avoid inhuman treatment of Ugandan citizens working abroad.
But Ssegona insisted that Parliament sets up a special committee, an issue which Oulanyah promised to pass a ruling next week on Tuesday.
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