Benon Kunywana, 36 and Godfrey Kyalimpa, 48 both managers at Middle East Consultants, a labour export company have been convicted for promoting human trafficking & forgery. The duo was arrested in 2019 for various human trafficking related cases.
They also tried to traffic Ugandans out of the country using forged documents purportedly from the Ministry of Gender, Labor and Social development.
The Anti-corruption had earlier recovered over Shs1.5 billion which had been paid by hundreds of youth to the company, promising them jobs abroad which did not materialize.
The plea was reached during a plea bargain process with the state in the exchange of a lesser punishment.
Justice Richard Wejuli Wabwire ordered each to pay a five million fine separately on each account of promoting trafficking and in default to serve a three years imprisonment term.
Prosecution states that Kyalimpa and Kunywana on February 12, 2019 at Entebbe International Airport in Wakiso District attempted to traffic 50 migrant workers.
Prosecution further states that on the same day the two forged an official document to wit a clearance list for migrant workers Re. LEI 74/286/11 purportedly signed by Lawrence Egulu from the Ministry of Gender Labour and Social Development for purposes of trafficking the group from Uganda.
Their luck ran out after Egule found the said list at the airport the same day bearing his signature yet he had not signed it.
This prompted the authorities at the airport to launch investigations into the matter before the group could be allowed to board the plane.