The Minister of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities Prof. Ephraim Kamuntu who is also the Member of Parliament Sheema South constituency, has advised the youth to start entrepreneurial projects than flying to Arab countries which he termed as hell.

The Minister made remarks on Wednesday December 4, 2019 in Shuuku town council, Sheema district while interacting with his voters. “I say this as a parent and as a patriotic leader; whoever still loves his or her child or relative or friend, never allow them to go to foreign countries for a job through these companies that export labor. Its sad that i have been hearing that our children suffer a lot in the UAE but I had never confirmed it until recently when I was at the Ugandan embassy in United Arab Emirates, where I witnessed thousands of Ugandans sobbing and begging for help,” he said.

The minister also added that its  laziness and lack of lack of skilling that  make Ugandans poor saying this country  was gifted with a lot of free beautiful land to use “By the way it isn’t true that we don’t have jobs in Uganda , we have so many but our education system is the one letting us down. Our schools produce half-baked graduates with inadequate skills needed by employers. I therefore ask myself; if a Ugandan employer can’t employ that half-baked graduate , do you think developed countries which we lust for like those in Arab Emirates can employ him or her ?That’s why after Ugandans reaching there , they are seen as residues .” Kamuntu noted.

It should be remembered that Earlier this year, the Government of Uganda reportedly rejected a proposal by a section of MPs to impose a ban on labour export on grounds that it earns the country up to $600m (aboutShs2.2 trillion) annually in remittance. This accounts for half of total remittances in Uganda.

However, it is important that government makes a follow-up to ensure that all Ugandans who go abroad to work, especially in Middle East countries, find favourable conditions and their safety should be guaranteed. There have been reports that some Ugandans working in United Arab Emirates (UAE) have suffered a great deal with others even getting killed.

Government should ensure that Ugandans who face challenges while working in the Middle East countries, get immediate help from Ugandan embassies in those particular countries. There are about 84,000 Ugandans. Therefore, the government should ensure that labour export continues so as to reduce unemployment at home. However, it should also ensure that it monitors the affairs of our migrant workers .