As youth unemployment remains a huge challenge for the NRM government, some top officials in the Gender and Labour Ministry have put the blame on First Lady Janet Kataaha Museveni, the Minister of Education.
The officials allege that the First Lady’s directive not to reopen learning centers for trainees seeking employment outside the country through legitimate labour externalization firms has had a huge impact on the growing employment curve.
The Ministry’s commissioner in charge of labour Lawrence Egulu shutdown all training facilities which the private companies had opened to equip workers with skills before they travel to the Middle East countries.
Opening up these centers was in agreement after growing demand for domestic workers in these Middle East nations. However, these workers needed to have basic knowledge on using some equipment like washing machines, learning cultural norms since they would be entering new environment and also understanding religious practices.
The pact was signed between Ministry of Gender and Saudi Arabia and one of the qualifications undertaken was to establish the learning centers.
However, the learning centers were closed following President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s directive while implementing the second lockdown to mitigate spread of the Delta Variant.
At a time, Museveni suspended travels.
Labour industry came to a standstill.
It must be noted that the learning centers are facilitated by the labour exportation firms.
Whereas the President lifted the lockdown and the labour externalization business resumed, Gender Ministry has refused to reopen the training centers for domestic workers, official maintain that an order came from Ministry of Education which is headed by Maama Janet.
It remains unknown whether Ministry of Education regulates the labour business in Ministry of Gender.
“The learning centers don’t have the same curriculum as schools. They are simply taught how to deal with the new environment,” an official in the Gender Ministry.
“We don’t know why the First Lady would allow this to happen when our youth are fighting with unemployment,” another official said.
When this website contacted the commissioner in charge of labour Mr Egulu was not available for a comment.
Egulu, it is said revealed to some managers of labour firms that they will not follow SoPs if they are allowed to resume business.
The Ministry’s spokesperson Frank Mugabi told this website that officials are implementing President Museveni’s instruction.
“Closure of learning centers was a directive by the President,” he responded us when contacted.
Ketty Lamaro, the Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Education didn’t have a response when reached.
She referred us to the Ministry’s spokesperson who was not available by press time.
It remains a fact that government of Uganda earns $1.4 billion from labour exporting business and Saudi Arabia remains one of the bigger markets for Ugandan migrant workers.
This website has learned that continuous closure of learning centers has encouraged forgery of certificates and fuelled human trafficking after perpetrators bribe all officials in the relevant ministry.