The Ministry of Internal Affairs has revealed that over 75,000 Ugandans are staying in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) illegally.
Simon Peter Mundeyi, the Spokesperson for the ministry, said that there are over 100,000 Ugandans living in the UAE and of those, 25,000 went through licensed recruitment agents.
Mundeyi said that many of these Ugandans have been trafficked over the years by money-minded individuals.
“There are many fraudulent companies trafficking Ugandans and the victims never bothered to crosscheck with the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, which registers and licenses labor exporters,” he said.
Mundeyi explained that most of those Ugandans found on the wrong side of the law are arrested and jailed for illegally being in the UAE.
The government of the UAE has pardoned over 1,500 Ugandans over illegal stay, and they were set to be brought back in phases, Mundeyi added.
When a person illegally stays in any foreign country, he or she is supposed to first pay a fine for each of the days unlawfully spent in that nation. In Uganda, foreigners pay $20 for each day illegally spent here.
