Authors: Muramuzi D*
This documentary investigation exposes mistreatment and exploitation of Ugandan contractors injured while supporting U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Under the Defense Base Act (DBA), these workers were entitled to medical benefits and disability compensation if wounded overseas. However, complex bureaucracies and bias against foreign claimants led to systemic denial of their rights. Through legal document analysis, interviews with claimants and experts, and an immersive case study, consistent evidence emerges of local agents extorting funds, opaque processes delaying awards, discriminatory compensation compared to Western contractors, and lack of recourse. The Ugandan government failed to exercise oversight or advocate for citizens entangled in this biased system, allowing rampant abuse and theft by local agents. Thousands of Ugandan families were left devastated, sacrificed in service of American wars abroad without their own government's protection. This study gives voice to an invisible population robbed of dignity and justice after being injured in America's War on Terror. It compels radical reforms guided by empathy to uphold the moral promises owed to marginalized workers endangered in foreign battlefields. This documentary will raise awareness through poignant storytelling and irrefutable facts, engaging both hearts and minds to transform a broken system into one centered on human rights and redemption.
Keywords: Defense Base Act
