Labour rights activists have warned that millions of Ugandans working in informal and insecure employment remain vulnerable to exploitation, poor pay, unfair dismissal and unsafe working conditions despite existing legal protections, calling for stronger enforcement of labour laws and improved access to justice.
The concerns emerged during a labour rights panel at the fifth edition of the Human Rights Are Universal Arts Festival, held under the theme “Threads of Belonging”, where speakers highlighted the challenges facing domestic workers, market vendors, casual labourers, journalists, health workers and Ugandans seeking employment abroad.
The festival, organised by East African Visual Artists (EAVA), is taking place at Xenson Art Space in Kamwokya, Kampala, from October 9 to 17, 2026. It brings together artists, human rights defenders, civil society organisations and communities to explore dignity, inclusion, identity and shared humanity through art, performances, film and public discussions.
Delivering the keynote address, managing director Vincent Kyabayinze said the theme emphasised the importance of unity in addressing social challenges, including violations of workers’ rights.
“What makes a thread powerful is when they are woven together. We all belong and subscribe to different things, be it political parties, faith or culture. But what binds us is our humanity because we are all human beings,” Kyabayinze said.
He urged Ugandans to demand accountability from leaders while recognising their own responsibility to contribute to the changes they want to see in society.
“We all agree we have custodians, people who have been entrusted with power to steer us, but we must demand accountability. Before we demand accountability, we need to be accountable ourselves,” he said.
Kyabayinze said human rights should not be reduced to political disagreements because they affect everyday life, including access to healthcare, a decent environment and fair treatment at work.
“Rights are demanded, they are not given. We must understand what our rights are before we can defend them and demand for them,” he said, urging participants to continue advocating for change beyond the festival.
Elizabeth Kemigisha of Uganda Women Association said the exploitation of Ugandan migrant workers could not be addressed simply by stopping people from travelling abroad for employment.
She argued that the demand for migrant labour in destination countries, combined with unemployment and limited opportunities at home, continued to push Ugandans into risky working arrangements.
“We cannot stop people from migrating. Every Ugandan has a right to work here and work abroad. But we must ask ourselves where our labour is needed, why it is needed there and what kind of labour is being demanded,” Kemigisha said.
She said the movement of Ugandans to the Middle East was part of a wider international labour market in which migrant workers fill employment gaps, sometimes under conditions that leave them vulnerable to abuse and exploitation.
Kemigisha said the willingness of Ugandans to travel despite reports of abuse, unpaid wages and deaths abroad reflected the difficult economic circumstances many faced at home.
She recalled watching reports about women who had suffered abuse abroad, only to see other Ugandans preparing to leave for similar jobs shortly afterwards.
“They see what is happening, but there is something not working here that forces young people to look for what they believe are greener pastures outside the country,” she said.
She argued that the debate should extend beyond regulating the export of labour to addressing unemployment, poverty and the lack of decent work opportunities within Uganda.
“The bigger question should not be whether we should stop the externalisation of labour as a programme. We must ask ourselves why work is not safe here, why young people cannot find work here and what is pushing them to believe that going abroad, even without proper documentation, may be their only chance of getting employed,” Kemigisha said.
She also criticised inequalities in the global labour market, saying migrant workers could be particularly vulnerable because of low wages, limited access to trade unions and difficulties reaching authorities when their rights were violated.
Kemigisha said the government had a responsibility to ensure that people entering the labour market, especially women and other vulnerable groups, could access safe employment that adequately rewarded their skills and effort.
The panel also heard that exploitation remained a concern in domestic work, markets and other informal workplaces, where workers often lack contracts and face difficulties obtaining legal assistance when employers violate their rights.
Kemigisha said domestic workers performed essential duties that enabled other people to leave home and pursue their own employment, yet many remained poorly protected and lacked access to remedies when mistreated.
She challenged employers to consider the pay and working conditions of domestic workers, asking how many had written employment contracts or knew a lawyer who could help them pursue a complaint.
“How many domestic workers know a lawyer who can assist them? How many domestic workers have contracts?” she asked.
Kemigisha said the absence of written agreements often left workers exposed because employers could deny having employed them, making it difficult to establish employment relationships during disputes.
She also cited the experiences of women working on flower farms in Entebbe, Wakiso and Mukono, where workers had complained about low pay and poor conditions, yet other jobseekers remained willing to take their places.
She said this illustrated how poverty and a shortage of alternative employment opportunities could force people to accept work even when the terms were unfair.
Market vendors, she added, faced similar vulnerabilities, including multiple charges imposed by different authorities or market operators, while having limited access to effective protection.
Kemigisha called for stronger efforts to address poverty and improve economic opportunities rather than relying on a single government programme to support vulnerable households.
Robinnah Kagoye, a worker at Voice for Labour, said Uganda had a legal framework recognising workers’ rights, but enforcement remained a major challenge.
She cited Article 40 of the Constitution, which provides for economic rights, including the right to practise a profession and to work under satisfactory, safe and healthy conditions.
Kagoye said workers also had the right to organise, form associations and join trade unions to advance their social and economic interests.
“Workers’ rights are human rights,” she said, arguing that labour protections should apply to all workers regardless of their employment status.
She noted that informality extended beyond street vendors, domestic workers and casual labourers to people employed in established businesses who lacked contracts, appointment letters or clear employment terms.
Some health workers in private facilities, journalists working as freelancers and lawyers employed by law firms could also experience informal employment arrangements, she said.
Kagoye said the lack of written employment particulars could make it difficult for workers to prove that they were employed by a particular organisation, particularly when seeking redress over dismissal or unpaid wages.
She said the law provided protections relating to wages, employment terms, unfair dismissal, social security and maternity benefits, but workers without formal documentation often struggled to benefit from them.
Kagoye also highlighted emerging challenges involving digital labour platforms, saying some workers who obtain jobs through technology are classified in ways that deny them recognition and protections associated with employment.
She said Uganda’s labour laws had been strengthened to address some of these gaps, including protections for casual and domestic workers and provisions concerning migrant workers, but implementation remained inadequate.
Kagoye questioned whether the government was allocating sufficient resources to labour inspections and dispute resolution, warning that inadequate staffing and funding undermined enforcement of existing laws.
She also pointed to delays in the Industrial Court, saying a backlog of labour disputes could leave workers waiting years for decisions.
“The law may be there, but if I cannot use it to get justice, then it is very useless,” she said.
She further raised concerns about workplaces where security arrangements involving armed personnel could make it difficult for labour inspectors and rights advocates to access workers and investigate complaints.
The speakers urged workers to understand their rights, employers to respect their legal obligations and the government to strengthen labour administration so that protections provided by law translate into safer workplaces and fairer treatment.
The discussion reflected the festival’s central message that belonging must extend beyond identity and community to include dignity, protection and equal treatment in the workplace.
