By John Musinguzi, The Observer

Jacinta Kaahwa, a Ugandan national who served for six years as a finance and administration officer in Mogadishu under the employment of UK-based security firm SafeLane Global, is now entangled in a prolonged legal and diplomatic battle after her sudden dismissal and abandonment in Somalia.

Kaahwa was hired in September 2016 through a recruitment process facilitated by ClearTech, a firm allegedly acting on behalf of SafeLane Global. Despite SafeLane later denying any formal employment relationship with her, Kaahwa insists that her pre-recruitment communication, contract, and work operations were all directly handled by SafeLane.

Her ordeal began in March 2022, when she narrowly survived a terrorist attack by the Al-Shabaab militant group at her workplace—an incident that left her with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Although her contract guaranteed compensation for mental trauma and other associated risks, Kaahwa says the company neither honoured this provision nor provided the necessary post-incident support. Instead, SafeLane Global reportedly disowned her, shifting responsibility to ClearTech.

With mounting threats and harassment from both known and unknown individuals, including some Somali politicians, Kaahwa sought refuge at the Ugandan embassy in Mogadishu, where she remained for several months while pursing justice.

Kaahwa turned to various legal and institutional channels for redress. She filed complaints with the Dispute Resolution Committee under the Somali Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, the Banadir Regional Court, and eventually the Supreme Court of Somalia—all of which ruled in her favour.

These rulings directed SafeLane Global to reinstate her and compensate her for damages, insurance violations, and withheld benefits. However, the orders remain unenforced. Kaahwa’s lawyer alleges that SafeLane has resorted to illegal lobbying against those rulings and proceedings in courts.

Despite garnering sympathy from multiple local and international bodies—including the United Nations Mine Action Service, Somali presidency, the Federation of Somali Trade Unions, and the UN Mission’s Human Rights Division—Kaahwa’s case has seen little progress.

After escalating the matter to Uganda’s ministry of Foreign Affairs and raising it in parliament, it took on a diplomatic dimension involving Uganda, the United Kingdom and Somalia. She was advised to return to Uganda to pursue the case from there, which she did.

In December 2024, Kaahwa filed a formal complaint through the United Nations Human Rights Commission’s online portal, tagging several UN working groups.

“That was during the Christmas season; so, responses were delayed, but I intend to keep pushing that path,” she said.

Now, with legal representation from Unite Law Chambers, a Mogadishu-based law firm, Kaahwa is seeking justice through the British court system. Her lawyer, Advocate Junaid Egale, has already travelled to London to initiate proceedings against IGNE Group Ltd—the parent company of both SafeLane Global and ClearTechME DMCC.

“We are convinced this is a clear case of modern-day slavery,” Egale told The Observer. “Kaahwa was hired in Uganda by SafeLane Global Uganda, deployed to Somalia by SafeLane Global Somalia, and now abandoned without compensation or recognition.”

Kaahwa is claiming over $15 million in damages for unlawful dismissal, unpaid salaries, breach of insurance rights, mental health trauma, legal fees, and the cost of being stranded in a foreign country without support. She further alleges racial and gender discrimination, stating that SafeLane replaced her with a white South African, Rodney Venter, whose daily pay was three times hers.

Her request for a salary increment in July 2022 was denied, with the company citing cost-cutting measures. Kaahwa’s case shines a light on the challenges faced by African professionals working in international conflict zones such as war-torn Somalia under foreign contractors.

It also raises important questions about labour rights, accountability, and the ethical responsibilities of multinational corporations operating in vulnerable regions. As the legal battle now moves to UK jurisdiction, Kaahwa hopes that justice delayed will not be justice denied.

Source: The Observer