A 39-year-old mother of five has shared her difficult experience after returning home from four years of working in Dubai, only to find the house she had invested in still incomplete.
Barbara, originally from Mbale, Uganda, left home in 2020 after 16 years of marriage, hoping to secure a better future for her children. She travelled to Dubai through a friend who had connected her with a domestic job.
She expected to work for a household of two people and earn 1.2 million Ugandan shillings. However, upon arrival, she allegedly discovered that she was expected to work for a family of about 10 people.
Her employer reportedly promised to increase her salary to 1.5 million shillings after another worker left, but the increase did not materialise.
After repeatedly asking for the promised pay rise, Barbara eventually requested her passport so she could leave the job. According to her account, the employer refused to give her the document and allegedly threatened her with deportation.
She eventually left the household without her passport and sought assistance from immigration officials and a labour institution. The process reportedly consumed much of her savings as she spent money travelling between offices seeking help.
Barbara later survived through informal jobs before starting a small food business in 2022, selling chapatis and samosas to fellow Ugandans in Dubai. The business enabled her to purchase land back home and start constructing a house.
However, years of demanding work eventually affected her health and wellbeing. By early 2024, she was struggling physically, prompting her brothers to encourage her to return home.
She arrived back in Uganda in March 2024 with little money left and was disappointed by the state of the house she had funded.
According to Barbara, the friend she had entrusted with the construction did not follow her instructions. The rooms were reportedly smaller than she had specified, while a section intended to be a kitchen had been changed into a combined bathroom and storage area.
The house also remained without a roof despite Barbara estimating that she had spent about 10 million Ugandan shillings on its construction.
Since returning, Barbara has been taking care of her five children, aged between five and 21. Two of her sons are in technical school, while her daughter, who is in Senior 4, hopes to pursue law.
Barbara has also struggled to meet school fees and other household expenses. She attempted mushroom farming on her property but was unable to continue because water was too expensive and difficult to obtain.
A YouTuber who documented Barbara’s story appealed to members of the community to help complete at least part of the house, which would allow the mother and her children to move in and reduce their dependence on rented accommodation.