A group of grieving families and migrant rights activists have petitioned Uganda’s Attorney General, Kilyowa Kiwanuka, demanding transparency and accountability for the alarming disappearance and suffering of Ugandan workers sent abroad through the Ministry of Gender, Labour, and Social Development’s (MGLSD) labor export program.
The move, spearheaded by the Federation of Ugandan Migrant Workers Associations (FUMWA) through M/S Guma & Co. Advocates, comes after years of desperate pleas for help from families whose loved ones have vanished, been jailed, tortured, or deported primarily from Saudi Arabia, where Uganda has a bilateral labor agreement intended to safeguard workers.
In their formal notice served on July 24, 2025, FUMWA paints a damning picture of systemic neglect, accusing the MGLSD of enabling a pipeline of exploitation that leaves citizens vulnerable to trafficking, abuse, and death. The coalition highlights that suspensions of rogue recruitment agencies without offering support to already-deployed workers have only deepened the crisis, leaving families without recourse or information.
“We are not statistics we are mothers, fathers, brothers, and sisters whose family members have been lost to a system that treats human lives as disposable,” said a FUMWA representative. The group’s legal action seeks not only answers but sweeping reforms to prevent further tragedies.
Among the key remedies sought are an immediate, nationwide search and repatriation operation for stranded workers; full disclosure of all funds collected by the ministry during the labor export process; and a landmark UGX 500 billion compensation package for victims’ families. FUMWA is also calling for Uganda to ratify ILO Convention No. 189, halt all labor externalization until reforms are in place, and establish a forensic audit to investigate both private recruiters and government officials.
The petition draws on Uganda’s Constitution, national labor laws, and binding international conventions to argue that the state has a duty to protect its citizens a duty it has allegedly abdicated. Leading human rights organizations are monitoring the case, which could set a precedent for migrant worker protections across East Africa.
The Attorney General now has 45 days to respond before FUMWA files its petition at the High Court, potentially triggering one of the most consequential labor rights cases in Uganda’s history. With each passing day, more families join the call for accountability, refusing to let their loved ones be forgotten.
As the clock ticks, Uganda faces a defining test: Will it confront the human cost of its labor export boom, or will more citizens pay the ultimate price for bureaucratic failure?
