The Managing Director of Middle East Consultants Limited (MEC), Mr. Gordon Mugyenyi has applauded the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development for the efforts made to protect Ugandans who are employed in Middle East countries.
“I want to thank the Ministry of Labour for signing bilateral agreements with Middle East Countries. Such agreements will help protect our citizens who go to those countries as workers,” said Mugyenyi.
“So far, I understand that the ministry has signed with Saudi Arabia and Jordan and is also looking at signing with other countries like UAE and Qatar,” he added.
Mugyenyi made the remarks while speaking to ChimpReports at the sidelines of a sendoff ceremony of 52 workers who were going to Dubai Airport to work as security guards and service crew members.
He revealed that the 52 youths will be working under TransGuard, a government owned security firm in Dubai.
“TransGuard has given us (MEC) an opportunity to supply 400 workers in two months. Places are still available and we want to recruit as many Ugandans as possible, to be able to solve the country’s problem of unemployment,” he said.
Mugyenyi called upon all parents to take their children to MEC as soon as they finish campus saying that opportunities are lined up waiting for people to take them up.
He however warned against illegal recruiters who he said take people and dump them in unknown places.
“Middle East is a registered company and well recognized by government. We take our recruits through Entebbe airport unlike illegal recruiters who use border points.”
Commenting about the recent incident where a Ugandan girl died in Saudi Arabia, Mugyenyi noted that the girl was taken by illegal recruiters who do not follow up on the welfare of the workers.
“Those people (illegal recruiters) don’t help you once you are there. They just dump you there and the rest is on you,” he said.
Excitement as recruits check in to Entebbe Airport on Friday morning
Ramathan Muwada Sekamwa, one of the recruits told ChimpReports that he chose to go and work in Middle East because he had many responsibilities and his job in Uganda was not earning enough salary to foot the bills.
“When my dad died last year, I got a lot of responsibilities. I have a little sister and a young brother together with our mother and I am the sole bread winner,” he said in Luganda.
“I hope to go and work, make money to come back and establish a business that can sustain us as a family,’ he added.
Muwada has worked as a security guard with Pinnacle security and before being recruited, was working as a painter. He lives in Mbuya II zone.
On whether he was scared considering the daunting news about how Ugandans are treated, he said “I don’t believe in propaganda. My cousin has gone there through MEC and has come back with a different story. That’s what I am backing on to get the confidence I have.”
Muwada was escorted by his mother, Regina Kabugo.