Uganda admits gaps in monitoring migrant workers

KAMPALA. Government has acknowledged weaknesses in its ability to monitor and protect Ugandans working abroad, with the Gender minister calling for stronger systems to track migrant workers and respond to cases of abuse after they leave the country.

Appearing before Parliament’s Committee on Gender, Labour and Social Development on Wednesday, Gender Minister Henry Tumukunde said Uganda’s labour-export programme should go beyond recruiting and deploying workers to include proper pre-departure training, continuous monitoring and support in destination countries.

He questioned how government could effectively follow up on the welfare of migrant workers without adequate funding and logistical support.

“How do you reach there?” Tumukunde asked, referring to the challenges officials face in monitoring Ugandans working overseas.

The minister said although Uganda has signed labour cooperation agreements with several countries, government must strengthen mechanisms for tracking workers abroad and ensuring they can be reached and assisted whenever they face exploitation or other challenges.

He also called for greater investment in preparing Ugandans before they leave the country, noting that migrant workers make a significant contribution to the economy through remittances.

“I hope that you and the government should invest in training people because you are getting quite a lot of remittances from these people,” Tumukunde told MPs.

The minister questioned why labour export continued to receive limited policy attention despite its growing importance to Uganda’s economy.

He warned that unemployment among young people remained a major concern, revealing that about 5.5 million Ugandans below the age of 30 are neither employed nor enrolled in education or vocational training.

“If we do not address this urgently, the number will continue to rise,” he said.

Tumukunde also raised concern over persistent human trafficking linked to labour migration, saying the vice requires stronger coordination among government agencies to dismantle criminal networks targeting job seekers.

Beyond labour migration, the minister painted a grim picture of the ministry’s broader operations, citing inadequate funding, fragmented service delivery and weak oversight as key obstacles to supporting vulnerable groups.

He questioned whether government was committing sufficient resources to programmes targeting women, children, older persons and persons with disabilities.

“Are you really giving it enough time? Are you giving it enough coverage? Are you providing the appropriate budget that is supposed to take care of these very, very vulnerable people?” he asked.

Tumukunde also criticised what he described as “technical fractures” in service delivery, saying funds released by the Gender ministry are implemented through structures supervised by other government institutions, making accountability more difficult.

He added that ministers and political leaders tasked with supervising government programmes lacked the resources needed to effectively monitor implementation across the country.

However, Samia Bugwe Central MP Richard Wanyama challenged the ministry’s plea for more funding, saying it had failed to fully utilise money already allocated to it.

“Last time you had Shs410 billion, but you spent Shs333 billion, so it will be very hard for you to ask for more money,” Wanyama said.

He nevertheless backed the minister’s concerns about the treatment of Ugandans working abroad, saying many, particularly young women, continue to be exploited by labour recruitment companies.

Busongora County North MP Sowedi Kitanywa urged Tumukunde to push for a bigger budget at Cabinet level, assuring him of Parliament’s support.

“Fight more at Cabinet level to get more funding; we will support you here,” Kitanywa said.