For a while now, the debate on Externalization of Labour has been soaring as many baseless cases of torture have been talked.
Recently, the Mukono Municipality Member of Parliament, Betty Nambooze Bakileke came out to reveal that most Ugandans are tortured and ‘sold’ in the middle East.
However, all these allegations by Ms. Betty Nambooze are not true and have been greatly exaggerated and the facts ignored especially as regards Doreen Magezi Gandhi who was placed in Jordan by Marphie International company that is legally registered and licensed by the Ministry of Gender Labour and Social Development.
Marphie International Recruitment agency is a licensed recruitment company by the Ministry of Gender, Labour and social Development under license number 143 on 14th July 2017 is also a member of Uganda Association of External Recruitment Agencies (UAERA)
It should be noted that the labelling of externalization of labor as ‘slave trade’ is totally uninformed since over 27,000 licensed workers are currently deployed in Jordan alone and Saudi Arabia has 28,000, and they all continue to carry out their work with no complaints.
The said victim, Doreen was recruited by Marphie International, offered pre-departure training by the company, and even given an employment contract that she signed, and she therefore wasn’t placed on a stall and sold to the highest bidder at $3000 (about Shs11Mn), less, or more as MP Nambooze alleges.
Doreen Magezi was truly placed to work in Jordan to a company called AlBasha Company a licensed employing company and a member of R.A.A. in Jordan by Marphie International Recruitment Agency and was receiving a monthly salary of $225 (About Shs.830,000). AlBasha, the company that hired Doreen was also approved by the Ministry and Doreen was vetted and cleared.
Before Doreen Magezi left for Jordan, Marphie International carried out all legal procedures of external recruitment by the Ministry of Gender, Labor, and Social Development including but not limited to; Mandatory Pre-departure training that the candidate passed, final medical for issuance of visa was carried out at CITY Medicals in Bukoto and she was found fit.
All costs, ranging from the Yellow Fever Card, Passport, Air tickets and the Interpol Certificate of good conduct were all paid for in full by Marphie International Recruitment Agency.
Contrary to popular belief and rumours of slave trade and torture, Doreen fell ill in June and informed the information desk of her recruiting company, after which she was relieved of employment when she decided that she couldn’t work anymore.
It was because of this that Marphie International paid her air ticket so she could return home for medical attention, and assessment.
It should then be noted that Doreen didn’t come back home in a wheelchair, with broken limbs, or a bruised face as alleged by MP Betty Nambooze.
Further to it, Doreen Magezi wasn’t arrested by police upon arriving at the airport.
The Marphie International officials, and Marjorie Muhinda, the UAERA cousellor were rather at the airport to receive her and forward her for further medical assessment as is the duty for her recruiting Agency.
She however, refrained and only opted to record a statement with police as it was her choice, and this was done in the presence of her family, after which she was released to them.
According to UAERA, the involvement of the police was purely to document any concerns that Doreen could have had, and this is normal procedure for returning workers.
It also involves counselling and medical checkup at Victoria hospital, which is the designated health facility.
The registration and licensing of companies through which individuals can find employment abroad is a Government of Uganda Programme intended to manage the safe and monitored employment of Ugandan citizens, and is not a slate for slavery or trafficking and because of this, $1.2billion has been remitted to the country by migrant workers, half of that, about $600million from the Middle East alone.
“We find the circulating claims very unfortunate because it’s laced with a lot of fiction and propaganda,” said Andrew Kameraho, the Chairperson UAERA.
He further added that it’s important to foster positive dialogue in a bid to develop the industry.
Doreen Gandhi Magezi returned on Friday 5th July, 2019 in good shape after which she left with her family as was her wish with no incident at all.
Rumours being spilled with regards to trafficking, torture and being sold to the highest bidder are only meant to shutter a growing industry that we all should support in a bid to curb unemployment in our country.
