Mawokota North MP Amelia Kyambadde has called for an urgent government investigation into the operations of Sino Ply Wood, a Chinese-owned timber company in Jjeza, Muduuma, after alleging that the firm employs children as young as 13 and has left workers with serious injuries without adequate medical care.
Kyambadde raised the alarm during Parliament’s debate on the State of the Nation Address, where she welcomed President Yoweri Museveni’s industrialisation commitments but warned that the drive for industrial development must not come at the expense of workers and communities.
The former Minister of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives told Parliament that Sino Ply Wood, a timber-processing company operating in her area, had allegedly recorded a number of workplace casualties.
“In my area, there’s a Chinese company called Sino Ply Wood. It’s a timber project, but this company has had a number of casualties because of the conditions they work in,” Kyambadde said.
She made an even more serious allegation, claiming that the company travels to different parts of Uganda to recruit children for work.
According to Kyambadde, some of the workers allegedly recruited by the company are only 13, 14 and 15 years old.
“They travel all over the country and collect young children in the age of 13, 14, 15 to work in their companies,” she told Parliament.
Kyambadde said some of the young workers had subsequently suffered severe workplace injuries, including injuries resulting in the loss of hands and limbs.
She cited the cases of Ocen and Ssenabulya, whom she said were receiving treatment at Kiruddu Hospital.
“But most of them have lost limbs, have lost hands. Recently, in Kiruddu there is one called Ocen and Ssenabulya in the hospital. They just dump them in the health centres without taking care of them,” she alleged.
The claims, if established, could raise serious questions about compliance with Uganda’s laws governing child labour, occupational safety and employers’ obligations to injured workers.
Hazardous waste claims
Kyambadde also accused Sino Ply Wood of improperly disposing of potentially dangerous waste and debris around its operating area.
She told Parliament that the alleged waste had exposed surrounding communities to danger, with children among those reportedly affected.
“Secondly, they dump dangerous debris around the area,” she said.
“We have had casualties of children in the community who step into this debris and get burned by the substance they put out there.”
The legislator urged the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development to intervene and investigate both the company’s employment practices and the conditions under which its workers operate.
She specifically called for enforcement of safe workplace standards and protection of workers from hazardous conditions.
The Speaker subsequently acknowledged the concern, telling Kyambadde: “Thank you, point noted.”
Sino Ply Wood in Mawokota
Kyambadde’s intervention identifies Sino Ply Wood as a Chinese company involved in timber production at Jjeza, Muduuma, in her constituency.
Public posts by the legislator have previously described Sino Ply Wood as a Chinese company dealing in timber production at Jjeza, Muduuma.
Kyambadde has now publicly called for the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development to investigate the company’s operations. Her office also published a statement saying she had raised concerns over the company’s operations during plenary.
The allegations have also attracted attention because of the wider government push to attract Chinese investment and expand manufacturing as part of Uganda’s industrialisation programme.
Child labour allegations
The most serious part of Kyambadde’s intervention is the allegation that children as young as 13 are being recruited for industrial work.
Uganda’s labour laws provide protections for children against exploitation and hazardous employment. Any evidence that children of such ages are being recruited to work in dangerous industrial environments would therefore warrant immediate scrutiny by labour authorities.
The allegations also raise questions about how workers are recruited, whether employers verify the ages of employees before hiring them, and whether labour inspectors regularly inspect industrial workplaces where vulnerable workers may be employed.
Kyambadde’s claims about severe injuries add another layer to the controversy.
If workers have suffered serious injuries while operating machinery or performing hazardous tasks, investigators would be expected to establish whether appropriate safety equipment was provided, whether employees received adequate training and whether workplace safety procedures were being followed.
Parliament demands action
Kyambadde’s intervention puts the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development under pressure to investigate the allegations.
The legislator wants authorities to establish the circumstances surrounding the reported injuries, determine whether minors are being employed and examine claims that injured workers were left at health facilities without adequate support.
She also wants the alleged dumping of dangerous industrial waste around the community investigated.
The concerns come at a time when government continues to promote industrialisation as a major pillar of Uganda’s economic transformation.
While industrial investments are expected to create employment and stimulate local production, Kyambadde’s intervention highlights the need for such investments to operate within Uganda’s labour, environmental and occupational safety laws.
For now, the allegations made in Parliament remain allegations and require independent verification by the relevant government agencies. Sino Ply Wood has not, in the material reviewed, issued a public response to Kyambadde’s specific allegations.
The spotlight is now on the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development to establish what is happening at the Sino Ply Wood facility in Jjeza and whether workers—and particularly minors—are being exposed to unlawful or dangerous working conditions.
