EXCLUSIVE | House Star Cleaning Company Workers Cry Foul Over Non-Payment Scandal Right Under Labour Ministry’s Nose

By Uganda Today News Desk
www.ugandatoday.co.ug

KAMPALA – A growing labour crisis is quietly unfolding within the very premises of the government office mandated to protect workers’ rights. Staff of House Star Cleaning Services, a private cleaning firm contracted to provide janitorial services at the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, have come out with damning allegations of systemic exploitation and delayed payment – a case of abuse hiding in plain sight.

Uganda Today is in possession of formal complaints authored by aggrieved employees of the cleaning firm, including a written petition addressed to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development. The petition lays bare months of unpaid wages, arbitrary dismissals, and persistent intimidation from company management.

“Whenever we try to complain about the payment, the owner Madam Irene Akankwasa makes sure she fires whoever raises a concern,” one disgruntled employee shared. “She hasn’t paid us for November, April, and then skips June payments. We are living in misery.”

The situation is particularly alarming considering that these workers serve in government offices that are directly responsible for safeguarding labour rights. Despite operating within the headquarters of the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, the cleaning company workers say their appeals for redress have been met with silence.

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“What pains us the most is that we are offering our services to the entire ministry – including the Commissioner of Labour and even the Minister for Youths – but no one is helping us. When our contracts are terminated unlawfully, they all look the other way,” another cleaner lamented.

House Star Cleaning Services is reportedly also contracted to clean other prominent institutions such as Victoria University, among others, yet the pattern of delayed or skipped payments appears to be consistent across the board.

Employees told Uganda Today that some of them have been evicted from their homes due to rent arrears caused by unpaid wages. Others report suffering humiliation, poor mental health, and lack of basic necessities.

“We are mistreated so much. Some of us have been chased out of our houses. We’re working without dignity,” another worker said tearfully.

Despite the presence of whistleblowers and a formal letter submitted to the ministry, no meaningful response or investigation has been initiated – a reality that raises serious questions about the ministry’s commitment to its mandate.

Under the Employment Act, 2006, it is a criminal offence for an employer to withhold wages or terminate workers outside due process. The law further mandates the Labour Commissioner to enforce fair labour standards and investigate such complaints.

The silence from the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development has sparked wider concern, with the cleaning staff now calling on the Parliament of Uganda, Uganda Human Rights Commission, and the Office of the Inspector General of Government (IGG) to intervene and bring House Star Cleaning Services to order.

The allegations, if proven, expose a deep contradiction at the heart of Uganda’s labour ecosystem – where private contractors abuse workers’ rights with impunity, even while operating under the direct watch of the state’s own labour regulators.

Uganda Today is closely monitoring this developing story and calls on the relevant authorities to break their silence and act decisively in accordance with Uganda’s labour laws.

For further updates and testimonies from victims, visit www.ugandatoday.co.ug. If you are a concerned party or whistleblower, reach out to our investigative desk via ugandatodayedition@gmail.com.

Published by www.ugandatoday.co.ug, your trusted source for news and analysis

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