The Government isn’t ready to evacuate stranded Ugandans in United Arab Emirates (UAE). A number of Ugandans are stranded in UAE after the country (UAE) asked foreign workers to go back to their mother countries in an effort to fight COVID-19.
In a letter dated April 7, 2020, Zaake W. Kibedi, the Uganda Ambassador to Abu Dhabi informs Ismail Sebugwaawo, the Chairman-Uganda Community in Abu Dhabi-UAE “The purpose of this letter is to clarify to you that currently, no repatriation registration arrangements are being made or are available at the Embassy until guidance on the way forward is received from the Government of Uganda and UAE on the way forward on this subject.”
Ambassador Zaake was responding to Sebugwaawo’s April 4, 2020 letter in which he informed stranded Ugandans in Abu Dhabi-UAE to register with the embassy.
Uganda has 52 confirmed COVID-19 cases.
A source in Dubai told this website that UAE government is overwhelmed with feeding and accommodating foreign citizens who are not working.
Over 1,000 Ugandans including businessmen and women, students and workers who have lost jobs are currently stranded in UAE.
“We have not been working for close to two months but UAE government continues to feed some of us. They have already cut our salaries for these months. A person who was earning Shs3m is now receiving of Shs400,000 to take care of themselves,” a source said, adding that the stranded Ugandans are sleeping on streets and are on the verge of dying from hunger.
The source added that government should be interested in their well being because they have been sending remittances back home that have supported the economy.
