The heartbreaking case of Nabukenya Patricia, a young Ugandan woman who died under unclear circumstances in Dubai, has once again shed light on the dangers faced by many Ugandans working abroad as domestic workers.
Nabukenya graduated from Makerere University in 2020 with a degree in Ethics and Human Rights. Like many graduates struggling to find jobs in Uganda, she sought employment in the Middle East. After two difficult years in Saudi Arabia, she relocated to Dubai in May 2024 for another job as a maid.
Unfortunately, her situation worsened. She was forced to work from 4:00 AM to 7:00 PM with barely any rest. According to friends, Nabukenya often complained of body pain and numbness in her hands and feet. Her phone was confiscated and only returned twice a week. She was fed poorly—given just 10 kilograms of rice per month—and had to fend for herself when it ran out.
Nabukenya had pleaded with the Ugandan agent who helped her get the job to find her a new one. Instead, she was threatened and told to either stay or leave with no compensation. A return to Uganda required her to pay up to UGX 5 million, money she could not afford.
On 28 May 2025, her family received shocking news that Nabukenya was in the ICU in Dubai. However, multiple conflicting stories about what happened to her have caused concern. One version claimed she choked while drinking water; another said she slipped and fell in the bathroom. A third account suggested she had a heart attack caused by a brain clot.
What has alarmed many even more is that the hospital later contacted the family, asking for consent to harvest her organs to raise money for transporting her body back home. This disturbing development has raised serious ethical and legal concerns.
This is not the first time such a tragedy has occurred. Many Ugandan women working in the Middle East face exploitation, abuse, and even death under mysterious circumstances.
It is time for the Ugandan government to take urgent action. The abuse of Ugandan domestic workers abroad must end. Stronger protections, fair contracts, and stricter regulation of labor export companies are long overdue.
