Kampala: The Speaker, Jacob Marksons Oboth, has called for the deployment of labour attach©s in countries partnering with Uganda on labour externalisation. The Speaker made this call after the Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development, Gen. Henry Tumukunde, presented a statement on the alleged trafficking and detention of three Ugandans in Thailand. This was during the House sitting on Wednesday, 26 August 2026.
According to African Press Organization, the statement was prompted by a concern raised by Soroti City Woman Representative, Hon. Joan Alobo, on Wednesday, 08 July 2026. She stated that Amon Kisaakye, David Musajja, and Samuel Kusiima traveled to Thailand through a labour recruitment agency but later lost contact with their family members. The Speaker urged the House to enhance the budget of the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development to enable it to assign labour attach©s abroad.
Oboth emphasized the need for government representatives abroad from the Ministry of Gender, akin to commercial and defense attach©s, to facilitate collaboration in those fields and handle labour issues. Tumukunde stated that the case of the three Ugandans resulted from trafficking in persons, noting that the labour agency, Result Recruitment Company, is not licensed and did not appear in the database of the External Employment Management System run by the ministry.
The ministry has previously received reports of Ugandans being trafficked to South East Asian countries like Thailand, Myanmar, and Cambodia, with no licensed company found externalising Ugandans to these countries. Tumukunde highlighted the need for investigation by the Police and the Anti-Trafficking Unit under the Ministry of Internal Affairs. He added that the ministry is conducting an operation with the Uganda Police Force to crack down on non-licensed labour recruitment companies and is running media awareness campaigns to encourage safe labour migration.
Jonam County MP, Hon. Alenyo Marshall, reiterated the Speaker's proposal, referencing a move by the Ministry of Internal Affairs to assign immigration officers to support Ugandans abroad, which facilitated easier access to immigration services. Marshall noted that sending labour attach©s would help track Ugandans abroad and reduce complaints.
Workers Representative, Hon. Rwakajara Arinaitwe, stated that labour attach©s will be instrumental in monitoring the legitimacy of jobs offered under labour externalisation companies. He highlighted that many Ugandans promised professional jobs end up in informal jobs. Rwakajara emphasized the need for the Ministry of Gender to collaborate with stakeholders to ensure the proper monitoring of labour externalisation.
The Leader of the Opposition, Hon. Joel Ssenyonyi, urged the government to create more job opportunities domestically to reduce youth emigration in search of work. Ssenyonyi stressed the importance of working hard to provide employment opportunities locally. Legislators also called for government support in repatriating Ugandans stranded under difficult working conditions abroad.