Ministry of gender gives labour recruitment firms one month to renew licences

15 July 2026, 9:00 pm

By Ronald Ssemagonja

The Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development has held a special engagement with licensed external labour recruitment companies in Kampala to discuss ways of improving service delivery and addressing challenges affecting the labour export sector.

Addressing the meeting, the Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development, Henry Tumukunde, urged owners of licensed recruitment agencies to become more organised in order to strengthen the industry and effectively address common challenges.

“We decided to hold this meeting because you have been facing various challenges, and one of the major reasons is that you are not organised. I therefore urge you to organise yourselves so that you can benefit from your collective efforts,” the minister said.

The recruitment companies appealed for the establishment of regional Interpol offices to ease access to international law enforcement services. Tumukunde acknowledged the concern, describing Interpol matters as sensitive, but pledged to raise the issue with the relevant authorities.

On the issue of repatriating the bodies of Ugandans who die while working abroad, the minister advised recruitment companies to partner with insurance providers to reduce the financial burden associated with such incidents.

He also encouraged the companies to form associations of about 100 members each to improve coordination and management within the sector.

Regarding the effects of the Ebola outbreak on the labour export business, Tumukunde said the Ministry of Health is expected to issue a comprehensive update soon, expressing optimism that operations will return to normal.

Meanwhile, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, Aggrey Kibenge, said only a fraction of Ugandans working abroad use licensed recruitment agencies, while many others travel through irregular channels, exposing themselves to trafficking and exploitation.

He noted that the government has about 240 licensed labour recruitment companies, but many Ugandans seeking employment abroad bypass them by travelling through neighbouring countries such as Kenya.

“When people use unofficial routes, we regard them as trafficked. Many Ugandans working in Arab countries did not go through licensed recruitment companies, yet when they face problems, the government is blamed,” Kibenge said.

He urged Ugandans to use licensed recruitment agencies when seeking employment abroad and warned against human trafficking, particularly involving young women, who often become vulnerable to exploitation, including prostitution and other illegal activities.

Kibenge said the concerns raised during the engagement would help the ministry improve regulation of the sector and that some issues would require engagement with Ugandan ambassadors in destination countries.

The ministry also directed all licensed labour recruitment companies to renew their operating licences within one month.