Kampala, Uganda – The issue of Ugandans falling victim to human trafficking in Malaysia gained widespread attention in 2023. Many Ugandans are deceived by promises of better-paying jobs in Thailand, Cambodia, and China, only to be trafficked to Malaysia, where they are forced to work in modern slavery conditions, engaging in illegal online scamming activities controlled by criminal gangs.
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Ambassador Betty Bigombe, Uganda’s High Commissioner to Malaysia, has stated that behind the scenes, there are diplomatic maneuvers with the relevant authorities, captors, and rebels to secure the release of Ugandans trafficked to Malaysia. The Ambassador emphasized the need for increased government efforts to combat human trafficking. “We call upon the government to increase efforts in combating human trafficking in Uganda,” Ambassador Betty said. “Many Ugandans are lured to work in Malaysia’s online scam centers, where they end up suffering. Many agents are operating in Uganda, and almost every day, Ugandans fall victim.”
Several reports indicate that most of the trafficked Ugandans are youth, particularly well-trained IT graduates. They have been lured to Malaysia under false promises of lucrative job offers. However, upon arrival, they are subjected to human trafficking schemes orchestrated by criminal cartels in rebel-controlled territories. Contrary to earlier claims suggesting Ugandan involvement in rebel activities, Ambassador Bigombe clarified that the captives were exploited in slave-like conditions, forced to work long hours and used to perpetrate online scams targeting individuals worldwide.
“When they get there, they are huddled into these camps, their phones are taken away, passports are removed, and they are ushered into shelters housing about 10 people in one room. They are told to work for 20 hours a day. In the first week, they are also trained to scam people and tasked with mobilizing $10,000 per head daily,” Ambassador Betty explained.
In Malaysia, the trapped Ugandans face harrowing experiences, living in squalid dormitories, enduring brutal working conditions for up to 20 hours a day, and facing physical abuse if they fail to comply with orders. Despite the promise of financial gain, they are hardly paid for their labor, a stark betrayal of the hopes they had when they initially left Uganda.
These revelations were made during a meeting between Ambassador Betty Bigombe, Ambassador Abbey Walusimbi, and officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the President’s Office in Kampala. Ambassador Abbey Walusimbi, the Senior Presidential Advisor on Diaspora Affairs, confirmed that traffickers recruit desperate Ugandans via fictitious websites, as most victims respond to online advertisements for high-paying jobs in Thailand and Malaysia.
According to Ambassador Walusimbi, when the Ugandans embark on their journeys by air, via Addis Ababa, they are received by traffickers at designated locations. They are then transferred to Malaysia, either by boat or road, to rebel-controlled areas. “This is coordinated and organized criminality. Unsuspecting Ugandans take pictures at Entebbe and Addis Ababa airports to send to their receivers in Thailand. Upon arrival at Sukhumvit Airport, Bangkok, Thailand, they are ordered to go through exit gate 8, put in a van, and driven for 12 hours to the border of Thailand and Myanmar, where they get on a boat to rebel-controlled territories,” Walusimbi asserted.
The plight of Ugandans in Malaysia sheds light on the broader issue of human trafficking in Asia, where criminal syndicates prey on vulnerable individuals from various countries. Many Ugandans, including the daughter of a prominent late soldier, remain stuck in “scam factories” along Malaysia’s border with Thailand.
“Due to numerous ordeals from affected individuals, Ambassador Betty Bigombe has appealed to the President’s Office to secure the release of Ugandans trafficked to Malaysia under the guise of jobs. As Ambassador Abbey Walusimbi, I agree to coordinate efforts to expedite negotiations for the release of President Museveni’s Bazukulu who are trapped in Malaysia,” Walusimbi said.
Walusimbi also suggested the need to create a cooperative framework in immigration and anti-trafficking efforts, interagency coordination, negotiations, and networking between the governments of Uganda, Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, and China, as well as Ministries in charge of Foreign and Internal Affairs, the President’s Office, labor recruitment agencies, the International Organization for Migration, the Kyeyo Initiative, and Migrant Workers Associations, among others.
“There are deep concerns regarding the issuance of tourism visas to individuals involved in human trafficking. Our target should be to stop local agents. As stakeholders, we should push for collaboration between countries and international agencies to combat this modern slavery and ensure safe and orderly labor migration worldwide,” Walusimbi added.
Apparently, hundreds of Ugandans, including pregnant girls, are still stuck in Malaysia. Both government officials reaffirm that there are ongoing logistical efforts to repatriate them through neighboring Thailand, which has agreed to screen 300 victims a day out of the 100,000 nationals released by Malaysia’s rebel groups—a process that largely favors Asians.
“Majority of the victims are Ethiopians, Eritreans, Kenyans, and Ugandans, but Kenya recently managed to overcome the vice after apprehending and handing two local agents each a 10-year prison sentence. So far, 24 Ugandans have been repatriated, with 40 remaining; 31 are ready to return if provided with logistical support from the government,” Walusimbi reported.
In a related development, the Pearl of Africa Business Forum & Expo, focusing on tourism, agriculture, ICT, minerals, oil, and gas, will take place from April 23-24, 2025, at the Renaissance Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The same business-to-business meeting, organized by the Uganda High Commission in Kuala Lumpur, will also be held in May 2025 in Indonesia.
Ultimately, government has intensified efforts to tackle the menace of human trafficking through enhanced awareness raising, forming partnerships, and creating an interagency task force to monitor and combat trafficking in persons.
There are also efforts to organize rehabilitation programs for returnees, enabling them to recover from their traumatic experiences and providing them with capital to start afresh.
