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Labour Export Company in Lira Tasked to Refund UGX 700m to Job Seekers

Yosa Jafari, the General Manager Arova Reality Limited explained that since 2022, the company has been refunding people with clear proof of payment.
Some of the youths demanding reimburshment from Arova Reality (Photo by Immaculate Amony)

Audio 7

Arova Reality Limited, a labour Export Company in Lira has been tasked to refund more than 700 million Shillings it received from external job seekers.

In 2021, the company collected money from more than 600 people with promises of job placements in Qatar, Dubai, Switzerland, and other countries. However, the group did not travel and accused the company of defrauding them. 

The group led by Steven Okullo and Freda Akello says that they paid money for registration, processing passports, and medical tests, but none of them were offered any job.

Voxpop

//Cue in: “This company did…

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On Thursday, while appearing on a radio station in Lira, the Minister of Gender, Labour, and Social Development Betty  Amongi said that the group did not travel after the Ministry of Internal Affairs suspended the issuance of passports.  

Luo bite:

//Cue in: “Gin ame omio… 

Cue out: … Dubai International Airport.”//

Translation;

“The reason they were not taken was not because the company did not want to take them but rather the Ministry of Internal Affairs had suspended issuance of passports for almost a month so by the time they were getting the passport, the World Cup games had already started so the company ended up taking people registered from Buganda region who already had passports. I advised the company to tell those who are still interested in working in the future to wait while those who want their money back are refunded. Right now as I speak, four people from Oyam who remain patient are working in Qatar while three are working at Dubai International Airport.”

She tasked the complainants to present proof of each payment to enable the company to refund the money. 

Luo bite:

//Cue in: “Iceng Abic an …

Cue out: ... abiro gin ii.”//

Yosa Jafari, the General Manager of Arova Reality Limited explained that since 2022, the company has been refunding people who have proof of payment. 

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Cue out: … that’s not true.”//

On Friday, hundreds of youths from the Lango, West Nile, and Teso sub-region converged at Adyel Boarding Primary School playground hoping to be refunded.

However, only one person was refunded after presenting receipts.

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Others who claimed they paid money but did not receive receipts, were turned away. 

Luo Voxpop not refunded;

//Cue in: “Dano acel ame…

Cue out: … tye bot gi.”//

Geoffrey Omony, the District Police Commander of Lira City West Division, advised the youths to take legal action against individual staff who received the payments. 

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The youths have written to the Speaker of Parliament seeking intervention in the matter.