Uganda government repatriates 113 female migrant workers from Saudi Arabia

113 Ugandan female migrant workers who were stranded in Saudi Arabia returned home on September 15 night aboard a flight chartered by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), according to a news report by Daily Monitor.

Richard Kavuma, the IOM public information officer has said that the Ugandans aboard an Air Cairo flight, landed at Entebbe International Airport at 8:55 pm.

"They (women) reached out to the Ugandan Embassy seeking to be brought back home. Some were sick, others had lost their jobs or their contracts had ended but could not return home because the airport was closed, "Kavuma said yesterday.

He said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reached out to IOM in May seeking help to repatriate the women. Kavuma said initially, 153 female migrant workers had been identified for repatriation but five tested positive for COVID-19 while 35 were considered contacts and were retained in Saudi Arabia for treatment. Kavuma said the repatriated women were taken straight to a quarantine center.

He added that the government pledged to cover the quarantine costs. Ugandans returning from abroad are required to stay in quarantine for 14 days at an individual’s own cost.

Kavuma, however, said many more Ugandans, mostly migrant workers, are still stranded in Saudi Arabia under poor living conditions.

He said due to the difficult conditions, more Ugandans in Saudi Arabia will soon “be crying out for help.”Yesterday, the IOM issued a statement decrying the poor conditions of migrant workers in Saudi Arabia.