External labour recruitment companies under their umbrella organization, the Uganda Association of Recruitment Agencies (UAERA) have said human traffickers are spoiling image of genuine and regulated agencies.
UAERA says Ugandans who are trafficked to different countries in the Middle East don’t go through legitimate agencies that are licensed by Ministry of Gender, Labour, and Social Development.
Addressing the press toady at Hotel Africana, the UAERA Chairman, Andrew Tumwine Kameraho said that traffickers are tarnishing the external labour recruitment business and creating an environment of competition between legitimate agencies and traffickers, who he says take Ugandans on their own arrangement and exchange them for money.
He adds that when trafficked Ugandans get problems, the whole industry is put at stake.
“Traffickers are tarnishing the image of the industry, creating some kind of competition between the legitimate companies and the traffickers,” he said.
His response follows a recent dossier published on 5th July 2019, by Mukono Municipality MP, Betty Namboze Bakireke, who claimed that girls who are working in theMiddle East return in wheel chair, sick and that some dead.
She gave an example of a one Doreen Magezi, who she claimed contacted her that she was tortured from Jordan where she had got a job through Marphie International Uganda Ltd, and that on return to Entebbe she was put at gun point and arrested.
Tumwine rubbished the claims of the Member of Parliament, saying that politicians should not misinform the public before getting facts on the recruitment procedures in place in Uganda.
He added that Uganda recruitment agencies are supporting government policies of minimizing unemployment among Ugandans.
He added that Marphie International Recruitment Agency (a member of UAERA) contracted the said lady through all legal procedures before connecting her to the counterpart company called Albasha in Jordan to start work as a domestic worker.
He added that after 3 months, she contacted Marpie International Recruitment Agency desiring to return and arrangements were made for her safe return.
The Director, Marphie International Recruitment Agency, Ruth Karungi informed the press that their company which was registered under number E1707228 on 14th July 2017 has been recruiting external workers to work in Middle East.
She said that Magezi approached them seeking employment and all necessary procedures were followed before sending her to Jordan for work.
“Doreen signed a contract with us after going through training, legal procedures including clearance from LC, ESO, ISO, Interpo before we connected her to our partner company in Jordan and introduced to the family where she started working. After 3 months, she contacted us and we made arrangements for her return. At Entebbe airport, she refused to go to our health facility called Victoria Medical Centre for checkup; we handed her over to her sister as she preferred after making the routine statement at the airport police station,” she said.
By Drake Nyamugabwa
