Poor Ugandans have been banned from entering the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Following outcries of Ugandan migrant workers especially housemaids and casual laborers, the government of UAE has mooted laws to bar poor Ugandans and Nigerians from accessing their soils.
According to The Observer Newspaper, the development was confirmed by the Ugandan Embassy in Abu-Dhabi.
“An insider at Uganda’s embassy in Abu-Dhabi said that effective October 6, 2022, no Ugandan or Nigerian will be allowed into UAE without a certificate of good conduct and about 5,000 Dirham (Shs 5.3 million) on their bank account,” the Observer News Website said
The Newspaper said that the source intimated that move is aimed at curbing criminality and illegal immigration.
Recently, the UAE government offered free air tickets to all illegal migrants to return home. They were required to surrender to immigration authorities.
DaParrot understands that the UAE government deported over 600 Ugandans who had overstayed their welcome and had accumulated fines. The group was allegedly part of the over 1,000 Ugandans detained at Dubai Central Jail.
The new guidelines apply to all Ugandans and Nigerians, according to the source and whether you are a tourist or a casual laborer or a housekeeper, “you need to have Shs 5 million in your pocket to come to UAE; anything short of that, you remain home,”
This requirement might deal a death blow to local companies that take Ugandans to work in the UAE as domestic workers.
The insider source said the embassy was notified about UAE’s decision. “Ugandans and Nigerians had turned into crooks, conning people and sleeping on streets,” the source said.
Ronnie Mukundane, the spokesperson of the Uganda Association of External Recruitment Agencies (UAERA), said the new directive applies only to visitors.
“The difference is that labor recruitment companies take Ugandans on employment visas. The blacklisted Ugandans and Nigerians are those who access UAE on a visit visa. If you say you are going for tourism, you must have some money to spend. UAE is deporting Ugandans who went on visit visas and over-stayed,” he said.
From 2019 to date, Uganda has registered 88 deaths of migrant workers, according to the Gender ministry.
Of these, Saudi Arabia has the high- est number at 69.
It is followed by the UAE and Jordan with five deaths each; Somalia with three, and Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain with two deaths each.
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