Parliament is considering stronger legal measures to protect Ugandan migrant workers from human trafficking, forced labour and other forms of exploitation, Speaker Jacob Markson Oboth has said.
Oboth made the commitment on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, during a meeting with the Chief of Mission of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in Uganda, Sanusi Tejan Savage, who paid him a courtesy visit.
The Speaker said Parliament was committed to strengthening the legislative framework on migration, expanding training for lawmakers and addressing the challenges facing Ugandans working overseas.
He praised IOM for its humanitarian interventions and emergency responses across the country, saying Parliament had a responsibility to represent citizens facing difficulties both at home and abroad.
Oboth said his office frequently receives appeals from families whose relatives encounter distress while working in foreign countries.
He expressed concern that some poor households sell their land to finance their children's travel abroad, only for the families to face difficult circumstances when things go wrong.
He cited cases in which families struggle to bring home the remains of relatives who die overseas because of inadequate state support.
“Death can occur anywhere but as Africans, our culture dictates that a person who has died should be accorded a respectful burial,” Speaker Oboth said.
He called on IOM to help influence government policy towards establishing mechanisms that would support families in repatriating the remains of deceased Ugandans.
The Speaker also highlighted petitions before Parliament involving Ugandans allegedly lured abroad into human trafficking, forced labour, sexual exploitation and drug networks.
He further raised concern about citizens stranded in foreign conflict zones, including Russia and Ukraine.
To address gaps in the existing legal framework, Oboth supported the proposal to introduce specific legislation against human smuggling.
He suggested that a Private Member’s Bill could be introduced to accelerate the process of strengthening legal measures against human smugglers.
He said parliamentary oversight and reviews of laws relating to migration and border governance would be handled through the Parliamentary Committee on Defence and Internal Affairs.
Savage reaffirmed IOM’s longstanding partnership with Uganda, which dates back to 1988.
He highlighted the organisation’s support in deploying health surveillance equipment at airports and border points during the Ebola and COVID-19 outbreaks.
He also said IOM had facilitated the resettlement of more than 15,000 refugees globally from Uganda since 2020.
In addition, the organisation has arranged charter flights to repatriate hundreds of Ugandans stranded in the Gulf region and East Asia.
Savage proposed establishing a structured coordination platform linking Parliament, the National Coordination Mechanism on Migration under the Office of the Prime Minister and the Inter-Ministerial Platform for Migration Coordination.
The IOM delegation also briefed the Speaker on a green technology initiative at the Bidibidi refugee settlement.
The project includes what IOM described as the world’s first refugee-operated lithium battery repurposing laboratory. The facility converts electronic waste into solar power solutions for refugee and host communities.
