Thomas Tayebwa, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, has requested an explanation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the whereabouts of Ugandans detained in Egypt and Myanmar.
This comes after rumours circulated that several ethnic armed groups fighting Myanmar’s military forces are holding at least 450 Ugandans as hostages.
Since 1948, when Myanmar, then known as Burma, obtained independence from the United Kingdom, there have been continuous insurgencies in the country.
Muwada Nkunyingi, the MP for Kyadondo East and Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs, claims to have received letters claiming that multiple Ugandans are being held captive in that country in Southeast Asia.
Moreover, Nkunyingi disclosed that numerous Ugandans are incarcerated in various Egyptian prisons following their capture by the authorities during a crackdown on unauthorized immigration in December 2023.
According to reports, the impacted Ugandans are being fined US$500,000, or roughly 1.909 billion shillings.
Nkunyingi has pleaded with the government to inform the people about what is happening to Ugandans who are being held in foreign countries, particularly in the Middle East, which is where most Ugandan migrant workers want to go.
Ahmed Mukasa Nsanja, 30, of Luwero District, Uganda, was studying at Al Azhar University on a scholarship from the Egyptian government.
He was reportedly beaten to death by other prisoners, and his body was returned to the country early this month.
The Deputy Speaker ordered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, under the leadership of Gen. Jeje Abubakher Odongo and his deputy Henry Okello Oryem, to give a report on the floor of the August House on Tuesday, June 6, 2024, describing the situation as “urgent and critical.”
Between 2016 and mid-2022, around 220,000 Ugandans fled their country in search of employment in the Middle East due to unemployment at home.
Domestic workers made up 85% of the workforce, with women making up the majority (75%). Workers who have unlawfully fled the nation in quest of employment prospects are not included in those figures.