Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | By Michael Wandati | The Saudi Arabian government has announced a pardon for Ugandans imprisoned for various offenses, as confirmed by Esther Anyakun Davinia, Uganda’s State Minister of Gender, Labor, and Social Development.
Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Anyakun revealed that all detained Ugandans, except those convicted of capital offenses such as murder and drug trafficking, will be released.
The pardon also extends to women with children born in Saudi Arabia. This decision was reached following a recent meeting between a Ugandan delegation, led by Minister Anyakun, and Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, Ahmed Alrajhi.
The meeting, held earlier this month, aimed to resolve challenges faced by Ugandan migrant workers and strengthen bilateral ties between the two nations.
During the talks, Ugandan officials focused on documenting cases of distressed citizens to facilitate their repatriation. However, Minister Anyakun highlighted that the fate of Ugandans imprisoned for drug-related crimes remains uncertain, given Saudi Arabia’s strict drug laws.
Joshua Kyalimpa, spokesperson for Uganda’s Ministry of Gender, Labor, and Social Development, noted that while the government has data on Ugandans who traveled legally to Saudi Arabia, the exact number of those in Saudi prisons remains unclear due to inconsistencies in records kept by local authorities.
Nonetheless, the repatriation plan will include all Ugandans, regardless of how they entered the country.
“We found out that Saudi Arabia, using their system, has different numbers, and the government also had another number because of the many Ugandans who go to that country through improper channels,” Kyalimpa stated. A team from the ministry has been dispatched to begin the repatriation process, with plans for Ugandans to start returning home within 60 days.
Uganda’s State Minister of Gender, Labor, and Social Development, Esther Anyakun Davinia, has called on labor externalization companies to better educate Ugandan workers about the cultural expectations and legal frameworks of the countries they are traveling to. She specifically highlighted the issue of local herbs being misinterpreted as illegal drugs in some countries, urging better awareness to avoid such misunderstandings.
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Asha Wilson Owere, Chief Affairs Officer of a leading labor export agency, stressed the importance of increased monitoring of Ugandans migrating for work. He emphasized the need for collaboration between the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Labor, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to address human trafficking, which often leads to the imprisonment of Ugandan citizens abroad.
Owere also advocated for enhanced training and orientation programs for Ugandans seeking overseas employment, focusing on cultural norms and legal systems in host countries.
Saudi Arabia, in response, has pledged to speed up the repatriation process for Ugandans and provide reintegration support for those returning, offering hope to families who have lost contact with relatives working in the Kingdom.
With over 150,000 Ugandans migrating to Saudi Arabia for work, the country has become the largest destination for Ugandan labor exports. Following the 2023 bilateral labor agreement between Uganda and Saudi Arabia, which tasked the host country with safeguarding the rights of Ugandan workers, this latest development represents a significant step towards ensuring the welfare and safe return of Ugandans working abroad.
