Many Are At Risk! Kyeyo Initiative Uganda Demands Tougher Measures To Protect Migrant Workers

By Our Reporter

Kyeyo Initiative Uganda, an organization that works on issues affecting Ugandan migrant workers, has raised concerns over the limited support given to victims of human trafficking and their families, following the case of Ms. Karungi Monic featured in a recent BBC investigation.

According to Mr. Oloka Keneth, the Executive Director of Kyeyo Initiative Uganda, Monic’s family approached the organization in May 2022 seeking clarity on whether she was still alive after conflicting media reports about her fate in Dubai, where she was allegedly trafficked by Abbey Mwesigwa.

Oloka said that while the case was reported to both Ugandan and UAE authorities, little was done to assist. Instead, the organization and Monic’s relatives allegedly received frequent threats, which discouraged the family from pursuing the matter further. “At one point, the family even went as far as holding a vigil in her absence,” Oloka noted.

Kyeyo Initiative Uganda said the incident reflects wider challenges faced by migrant workers abroad, particularly in destinations such as the UAE, India, Canada, South Africa, Syria, Iraq, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, among others.

The organization has called for a multi-pronged response to address the problem, including:

• Increased sensitization on human trafficking.
• More employment opportunities within Uganda to reduce vulnerability.
• Prosecution of traffickers and their networks.
• Reinstating the external labour desk at Entebbe Airport and tightening border security.
• Stronger action against corruption in labour export processes.
• Establishment of a dedicated fund to support anti-trafficking initiatives.

Human rights advocates argue that the revelations underline the urgent need for government agencies, civil society, and international partners to strengthen mechanisms for the protection of migrant workers and to hold perpetrators accountable.