By Guest Writer
The Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Jacob Marksons Oboth, has joined hands with the International Organisation for Migrations (IOM) to address the plight of Ugandans working abroad.
Oboth made the commitment during a meeting with the Chief of Mission of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Uganda, Mr. Sanusi Tejan Savage who paid him a courtesy call this morning at his Chambers.
The Speaker informed Mr. Savage that the 12th Parliament is ready to partner with IOM in strengthening the legislative framework for the protection of the rights of Ugandan migrant workers.
“I salute IOM for its continuous humanitarian interventions and emergency responses to the plight of migrant workers generally. We shall position Parliament as the primary voice for citizens facing distress abroad,” Oboth pledged.
Ugandans abroad sent home about US$2.5 billion (around Shs9.25 trillion) in 2025 alone, roughly 3.8% of GDP. Gulf-based workers sent home an estimated US$600 million, mainly from Saudi Arabia.
However, these migrant workers have constantly raised concerns about their welfare and mistreatment abroad at the hands of employers and unscrupulous labour agents. Many have suffered abuse and even death abroad, and there is no real-time system to track their status.
Under Uganda’s legal framework, their protection rests on the Employment Act 2006, the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Act 2009, the 2021 migrant-worker recruitment regulations, and the National Labour Migration Policy. The framework also includes bilateral labour agreements with Saudi Arabia and Jordan, and the new Employment (Amendment) Act, which regulates recruitment agencies and labour externalisation and extends labour protections to domestic workers.
Oboth acknowledged the grave challenges confronting Ugandans working overseas and revealed that his office frequently receives desperate appeals from distressed families.
“I have also learnt how impoverished families are selling off their land to send their children to work abroad, only for them to face tragic outcomes without structured state support to repatriate the deceased,” he noted.
“Death can occur anywhere, but as Africans, our culture dictates that a person who has died should be accorded a respectful burial,” the Speaker added, calling on IOM to help influence government policy so that mechanisms are established to support families in bringing home the remains of departed Ugandans.
The Speaker also drew attention to petitions currently before Parliament concerning Ugandans lured abroad into human trafficking, forced labour, sexual exploitation and drug rings, as well as citizens trapped in foreign conflict zones such as Russia and Ukraine.
To close existing policy and legal gaps, Speaker Oboth endorsed a proposal to introduce a dedicated legislative mechanism in Uganda. He suggested that a Private Member’s Bill could be proposed to fast-track compliance and strengthen legal tools against human smugglers.
He said parliamentary oversight and legislative reviews on migration and border governance would be channelled through the Parliamentary Committee on Defence and Internal Affairs.
Savage reaffirmed IOM’s partnership with Uganda, which dates back to 1988. He outlined the organisation’s contributions, including deploying health surveillance equipment at airports and border points during the Ebola and COVID-19 outbreaks, and resettling more than 15,000 refugees globally from Uganda since 2020.
“IOM has facilitated charter flights to safely repatriate hundreds of stranded Ugandans from the Gulf region and East Asia,” he told the Speaker.
He also proposed a structured interface between Parliament, the National Coordination Mechanism on Migration under the Office of the Prime Minister, and the Inter-Ministerial Platform for Migration Coordination.
The IOM delegation also briefed the Speaker on a green technology project in the Bidibidi refugee settlement, home to what it described as the world’s first refugee-operated lithium battery repurposing laboratory. The facility turns electronic waste into sustainable solar power solutions for host and refugee communities. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
