By Amon Baita

Middle East Consultants Ltd (MECL), one of Uganda’s leading labour
recruitment and exporting agencies yesterday Sunday 14th July 2019
flagged off over 100 youth to Abu Dhabi for jobs in Oil & Gas project.

Speaking at the event, MECL Managing Director, Gordon Mugyenyi revealed
that over 350 youth got visas to work in a United Arab Emirates government
related oil firm and so far 100 have left the country.

“100 have left via Fly Emirates for a 2-year contract to work in oil
and gas project as normal helpers. We advise parents to speak to the
youth (to be behave well and be purposeful) before they go out for
these jobs,” Mugyenyi said.
He told the candidates and parents that two years are not enough for
any person to start something developmental at home, advising them to
renew their contracts after expiry.
He advised them to take the two years as a strategy for development
and learning.

“Two years are for planning as you work to renew the contract. The other
2 years are for development. You can enjoy ‘kyeyo’ money with your
family after 6 to 8 years,” he said.
 Middle East Consultants boss, Gordon Mugyenyi speaking to candidates
before setting off for Abu Dhabi
He added that the demand for Ugandans in the Middle East is becoming
high day in day out because of descipline and the fluency in the
English language.

This comes barely a few days  after the Minister of Gender, Labour and
Social Development, Janat Mukwaya revealed that the Government of the
United Arab Emirates (UAE) is need of 80,000 Ugandan workers to take
up jobs in various categories.
 Parents and relatives of the Abu Dhabi bound youth follow proceedings
at MECL offices in Muyenga .

Mugyenyi challenged members of Parliament and other politicians  to
consult Uganda Association of
External Recruitment Agencies (UERA) for appropriate information  in
discussing and  drafting guiding laws of labour externalization
instead of thinking of closing down the industry because of a few
reported cases  of torture and exploitation in the media since many of
them have been putting up debates but seem to lack information on the
procedures and how the whole industry of labour externalisation is
being run in Uganda.

“Closing up labour export companies is not a solution; just draft good
laws that protects ugandan workers abroad and be strict on human
trafficking”, he said.
Cautions against People Power Politics

He cautioned candidates against reaching their place of work and
indulge in social media people power politics attacking government
instead because they have got access to  free internet in abundance
instead of concentrating on their work and save money to come back and
invest it wisely.

. “I have previously seen some youths using the opportunity to be in
UAE for work to use the freely available internet access to attack the
President and fight government which is unfair and being ungrateful
because you are gaining access to these lucrative job opportunities
because of his liberal policies. You are free to support your Bobi
Wine but how sure are you that once he becomes President, this policy
won’t be reversed? In case that were to happen, all of you would find
yourselves being forced back home which won’t be good for you and your
families which have a lot of hopes in you,” Mugyenyi said Sunday
mid-morning as part of his send-off address to 100 youths moments
before flying them out to Dubai
Mugyenyi said he he personally hates politics but this was being
ungrateful to the NRM government whose policy has permitted firms like
his to freely connect hundreds of thousands of jobless youngsters to
job opportunities in the Middle Eastern countries.

Mugyenyi delivered a comprehensive lecture focused at equipping the
100 youths (part of the 216 group; some travelling later) with life
skills they will need to gainfully survive and operate in UAE where
all of them are to be working for a government entity. They each have
a contract of 2 years renewable and Mugyenyi advised each one of them
to aim at working in UAE for 8 years so that by the time they stop
working there and return home for good, they have each satisfied all
their needs.