In some households, the house help is brought into the home and is treated as part of the family. They go to church or mosque with the family, their personal needs are taken care of, they go out (to chill) with the family, they are treated when they fall sick and are even educated.
In other households, this is not the case. In this article, I’ll explore the flip side: how Ugandan families mistreat housemaids, which often leads to premature leave, revenge plots, and sometimes permanent scars.
What if the problem you believe your housemaid has isn’t due to their incompetence, but because of YOU, their boss?
#1. Poorly Feeding Housemaids? Inside Uganda’s Silent Abuse
Now this is something that you might think only exists in Nigerian movies or in Middle Eastern countries, where young African women go in desperate search for paying jobs and instead return malnourished or broken. This also happens in Uganda.
The rule in some households is that the helper(s) eat last after the rest of the family. This is legit slavery tendencies, only difference is that the ‘sl*ve’ is being paid. If the food runs out, they aren’t allowed to cook more; they have to wait for the next meal they are to prepare for the family.
In other homes, helpers are not permitted to eat the same food the family is eating. They have separate food usually, posho and beans, which they prepare for themselves after cooking the luxurious meals like beef, chicken, rice and matooke for their bosses.
In a certain home, when chicken was to be prepared, the maid would slaughter and cook it. At mealtime, the mother of the house would serve the meat to her family and give the maid nothing but the chicken feet, as her official share.
Now, imagine how this helper feels. Being deprived of food is one of the worst forms of mistreatment you can inflict on someone who works for you and has cooked the meal you’re eating. Domestic workers are the reason employers can rest, eat well, and live in clean homes, but all of that is trashed when they’re treated this way.
In turn, the house help may, in an outburst of anger, one day decide to “do something” to the very food they diligently cook daily or steal away and return to their home, where feeding is much better.
Every employer must have it that feeding your housemaid is not just kindness, but a right. They need the same nourishment as you do, for they are human too. The labour they give demands strength, fuelled by food, just as the Baganda say, ‘gava mu kulya.’
#2. Poor Accommodation Silently Breaks the Maid You Rely On
If you don’t have space for another person in your home, don’t bring one in. But if you must, don’t complain when things get crazy.
Let’s say a maid has got a job with a family of three: mother, father and a 16-year-old child. This family lives in a two-bedroom apartment. If the plan is to have a live-in housemaid, how will that work? Ok, she might be able to sleep in the living room at night, but where will she change clothes, in the bathroom? When she needs rest, and it’s 9 pm, with everyone still lounging in the sitting room, will she rest in the bathroom? When she needs to phone her family back home, will that also happen in the bathroom? If she steps outside the house, she’ll be accused of talking to boyfriends anyway.
This house help is suffocated on all sides, no privacy, no space to rest and regroup. Think about what would happen if schools never had break time, work never offered leave, and there were no public holidays. With zero time set aside just for ourselves, we would become tense, worn-out individuals roaming the surface of this earth, with bulging eyes and… you get the picture. So, this helper is trying her best to do it right, but it’s hard when she barely gets a break from her work self.
And you most definitely know what happens to a fatigued individual, they become snappy, irrational, irritable, sloppy, lazy and grumpy.
Terrible accommodation also includes the place where the helper showers. If it is a shared bathroom, the risk of sexual assault is high. A private bathroom for the helper ensures privacy for both the employer and the employee.
A story is told of a house girl in Makindye, Kampala, who was required to shower from outside in a shared neighbourhood, even though the house she worked in had two bathrooms. The family she worked for comprised three people: mother, father and a three-year-old child. The reason for this arrangement is unknown. The issue is that she had to strut across the shared compound, fully exposed to predators who knew exactly where she was headed and how vulnerable she was. Keep in mind, she did this every day, possibly even twice a day.
Sometimes employers make these decisions without fully considering the potential consequences. As an employer, it’s important to establish clear boundaries while also safeguarding your employees’ well-being.
#3. Disrespect – The Unspoken Hell of Housemaids in Uganda
Employers, disrespect isn’t simply failing to apologise for mistakes; it’s openly abusing and degrading your employee.
In some Ugandan homes, the children themselves treat domestic workers with deep disrespect, insulting them, adding to their workload on purpose, shouting at them, making weird demands, blaming them for everything, including making false accusations. Children in the home can be little devils to the domestic workers, making their lives hell.
Being continuously treated as less than human leads to a buildup of intense emotions that can eventually explode in the worst ways. Cases where housemaids feed excrement to a child or clear the house of all valuables before escaping are common in Uganda.
#4. Heavy Workload & Unrealistic Expectations from Housemaids
In the 2014 child abuse case by a domestic worker in Uganda, Justus Amanya commented on Facebook, “Most of us treat maids like robots not humans, most likely this is what happens. Some men rape maids, and psychologically, these maids become mad…we need to start thinking. It’s dangerous to stay with a stressed person whose desperation levels are acute. They can k*ll without knowing. Sometimes, the real cause such scenes are the homeowners. Regardless this act is sad and there’s no measurable reason that can justify it. I, too, condemn.”
Excerpts from a Ugandan housemaid’s journal, if she had one, “In the morning, make sure the house is mopped clean before they wake up. The clothes of the two school-going kids must be ironed, shoes polished, snack packed, breakfast cooked and placed on the table for them, and for mommy and daddy.
Once they all leave, I’m left with the two-year-old kid. Shower them three times a day, give them medicine twice a day: one for allergies and one for the cough. Also, make sure they don’t go out. Feed the dogs (cook for them too), scrub the bathroom, cook for the child, eat, and shower the child.
When the two-year-old refuses to nap in the afternoon after a fight with food at midday, carry them on your back as you clean up the mess they made, wash clothes, hang them to dry, sweep the compound, start preparing supper, walk to the trading centre with child still on back to get some greens for supper because every meal must be balanced.
Feel torn, you badly want to shower, but the child won’t let go. While debating what to do, the van that drops off the other kids hoots.
They come in, messing up everything you just cleaned. When their parents aren’t around, they listen. So, you tell them to put things where they belong. Give them a snack, tell them to go shower. They do. Shower the little one who has just woken up. When they are done, supper is ready; give it to them. Then tell them to do homework. Start preparing their uniform for the next day. Blend juice. Boil tea. Wash plates.
Parents return. A feeling of panic takes over for no reason. Greetings are exchanged. A question is asked, “Did you give the baby medicine?” Yes. “The one for his rush.” No. The disappointment settles in on both ends…”
It seems that no matter how diligent a housemaid is, their flaws stand out. Appreciate the care she gives your kids. Thank her for the good work throughout the day. Point out areas for improvement with kindness, not with threats and abuse. This motivates her to improve and encourages better performance.
#5. Low Pay for Housemaids in Uganda
Housemaids in Uganda earn as low as UGX 50,000 (13.94 USD) per month. This is meagre pay, especially for a fully grown individual with personal needs and a family to support, such as parents and siblings. Let’s say this person agreed to the low pay, but since their employer keeps telling them to wait until the next month at the end of every month, they have to put their needs on hold, sometimes waiting for up to six months and receiving less than half of what they are owed.
In addition to their family’s needs, they have personal needs as well. How will they buy clothes, undergarments, medication or toiletries with promises?
If the boss is struggling financially, should they allow their difficulties to affect the helper too? Shouldn’t they let the helper go if they cannot afford to keep one? On the other hand, some employers may be financially well-off but simply do not value their helper enough to pay them on time.
As an employer, do not give excuses like ‘let me keep the money for you so that it adds up’ unless the worker is underage and cannot decide for themselves. Withholding money to keep workers tied to the job will harm their performance, as money is often their main motivation.
#6. Sexual Abuse of Maids in Uganda – A Crime Hidden in Silence
Ugandan law protects domestic workers from all forms of abuse by their employer or by anyone else in the workplace, while on the job. Those found guilty can face up to two years in prison or pay a fine of up to UGX 960,000.
Now, have there been recorded cases of domestic-worker sexual abuse? If so, how many have been reported? How many perpetrators have been reprimanded?
Not Just a Helper – Your Housemaid Has Rights Too
Mywage.org/Uganda emphasises that isolation is the main reason most of these workers are violated. Frequent bouts of silence, situations where the employee and employer are alone in close quarters, encourage this behaviour.
“The sexual harassment can consist of the employer or member of a household making sexual jokes or remarks, commenting on the domestic worker’s clothes or figure, making rude noises such as whistling or cat-calling, touching or fondling the domestic worker, demanding sexual favours in order for the domestic worker to keep her job, and rape” -Mywage.org/Uganda
There are cases in Uganda where the child (male in most cases) of the home corners the domestic worker and violates them physically or sexually. Other cases involve the employer (husband or wife) abusing the house girl; remember the infamous 2021 case of Peter Ssematimba, where his former house girl, Joan Namatovu, accused him of sexually molesting her ‘process by process’, leading to her pregnancy and a subsequent child custody battle over their 10-year-old daughter. The worker is silenced by threats, making it impossible to report the abuse to anyone, including authorities. With no witnesses to verify their claims, their need for survival often outweighs their pursuit of justice.
#7. Limited Communication – No Phone!
Some bosses fear that if the house helpers spoke to their families in the village, they would end up homesick and eventually run away. Others worry that abuse cases would be reported, exposing their wrongdoing. Some believe that if housemaids have communication devices, they might talk to the wrong people who give them bad advice and distract them from work. As a result, employers often confiscate these devices and control all communication. The downside is that when the worker asks to make a call, the employer is often busy, too tired, or doesn’t have airtime.
Cutting or limiting a worker’s communication with their family and friends demotivates them. They are human; what are humans without connection to loved ones? This communication helps them release stress through laughter and stories from their villages, provides emotional support, and, most importantly, keeps them in touch with their people.
Limited communication also refers to the vague instructions from employers regarding tasks, boundaries, routines, and expectations. If these aren’t clearly defined, the worker shouldn’t be blamed when they fall short. Clear communication helps workers understand their roles better. As an employer, do not expect the new housemaid to know everything. Be patient, willing to teach, and communicate clearly.
House helps are employees, not sl*ves, and deserve the same protection as any other worker. Government laws exist to provide this protection, but more should be done within households that employ domestic workers. Just as a household may have rules to protect its members, there should also be rules to protect the workers as well; otherwise, the outbursts we often see usually have an underlying cause.
Join our WhatsApp Channel for more of this, and if this article hit home, don’t keep it to yourself, share it.
