Government says there are no Ugandans stranded in Afghanistan
The Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development has said that there are currently no Ugandans in Afghanistan, rubbishing allegations that many were stuck in the South East Asian country.
On Wednesday, Deputy Speaker Anita Among summoned Foreign Affairs Minister Jeje Odongo to explain the fate of Ugandans that are stranded in Afghanistan and how government was going to evacuate them.
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Speaking to NBS Television on Thursday however, Ministry of Gender Spokesperson Frank Mugabi said that plans were made and all Ugandans working in Afghanistan were brought back in June.
Mugabi said: "When the United States president announced in April that they were withdrawing, all Ugandans working in Afghanistan were chattered back. The last batch came on 22nd June 2021."
According to Mugabi, there are 500 Ugandans who have been working in Afghanistan. Mugabi said that these were security officials and under the US government.
"The 500 Ugandans worked as security guards and went to Afghanistan through registered recruitment agencies closely working with the US," he said.
Mugabi said that the ministry has embarked on an exercise of scrutinising the passenger manifests to see if they tally with the names submitted by the recruitment agencies.
On Wednesday, Buliisa MP Norah Bigirwa told Parliament that a number of Ugandans were calling her, saying their family members were stuck in Afghanistan.
