HUMAN TRAFFICKING: Bosses at Middle East Consultants granted bail

The two managers first appeared before Entebbe Grade One Magistrate Phiona Birungi, a fortnight ago, before whom, they were charged with five counts of Human Trafficking, forgery and obtaining money by false pretense. They allegedly forged documents of the Ministry of Gender, Labor and Social Development.

The prosecution alleges that on February 12, 2019, both Kunywana and Kyalimpa, between Kampala and Entebbe international airport tried to traffic 50 people out of the country contrary to provisions of the law that barred trafficking in persons.

They are also charged with forgery of documents and signatures from the Ministry of Gender Labour and Social Development. The documents included signatures of Lawrence Egulu, an officer in the Ministry of Gender, allegedly approving the planned travel of up to 50 people who were being taken out of Uganda for domestic jobs in the Middle East.

Today, Magistrate Babirye said that the two have a constitutional right to or bail and that they still enjoy the presumption of innocence until proven guilty.

Each of them was asked to commit a cash bail of two million Shillings before securing temporal freedom, while their sureties were committed to a noncash bail of five million Shillings. The sureties included Gordon Mugyenyi, the Managing Director of the same company and Richard Ssembuusi, also an employee of Middle East Consultants.

The officials were arrested during operations mounted by both the Police and the State House Anti-Corruption Unit headed by Lt. Col. Edith Nakalema. The operation targeted at least 30 companies involved in labour externalization, the majority of which have been accused of mistreating Ugandans.